Summertime Songs
by Soulless Warlock
Summary: Sequel to CH Presents: The Producers. With a rousing cheer of "together, wherever we go", Danny and the gang embark on a summer of romance, music, Disney rejects, and a giant robot. Completed at long last with deleted and alternate scenes.
1. Try to Raise A Fuss

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the songs used in this fic. I own Eric Ryan, his family and friends, and that's about it.**_

_**Dedicated to Nicole, The Producers best supporter. I hope this meets up to your expectations.**_

–

Every wall in Casper High that had a clock was the only thing that was making noise. The sound of ticking filled the school as each and every student and teacher anticipated the final bell of the year. And the main characters of the story couldn't contain themselves, the end of their sophomore year and the beginning of their rise on the school's food chain; though they still had to watch out for the cannibal cohorts.

In the gym, Eric Ripley was sitting on the stage, a pencil tapping on the side of his face, keeping time with the ticking. In the school's Biology laboratory, Sam Manson was show the class her plans to replace the live frogs with deceased ones, a compromise she had reached with Mr. Barler, the head of the science department. Meanwhile, Ashley Saxon and her twin sister, Audrey, were waiting in their last class of the day, their fingers drumming to the rhythm of the clock.

All the while, Tucker was in the computer lab, putting the finishing touches on his newest program and downloading it into his PDA. On the other side of the school, Danny, having just finished used the Box Ghost as a punching, floated into the bathroom, transforming from Danny Phantom and back to Danny Fenton.

No sooner had he landed did the bell ring. Danny pumped his arms into the air**;** summer was about to begin. He ran out of the restroom, but was met by the gym door, flooring him.

"Sorry," Eric said, poking his head from behind the door. "Didn't see you there, Danny-boy."

Danny stood up, rubbing his face, making sure everything was still in place.

"It's okay, Eric. I wasn't watching where I was going," Danny said, finding no such injuries. "I can tell that you're happy about the end of the year."

"Oh, yeah!" Eric answered merrily. "And do you know why?"

"Because we won't have to worry about Dash throwing us into the lockers for three months?" Danny suggested.

"Well, there is that, but because I finally get to do this," Eric said, stepping in front of Danny dramatically, snapping his fingers.

The sounds of an invisible orchestra filled the air of an upbeat tune. Danny looked around to find the location of the music. He spotted a group of young men and women, dressed in traditional wizard garb, holding instruments.

"Where did they come from?" Danny asked, turning to Eric, who had begun counting with the music.

"I borrowed them from a friend," Eric answered, looking around, "He said they would be perfect for my little plan."

"And that plan is…?"

"To do this," Eric shouted, kicking off his shoes and gliding across the floor, singing, _"What time is it? Summertime…"_

And, much like when he was in _The Producers_ earlier in the year, a familiar foot appeared out of nowhere and tripped him. Eric slammed face first into the ground and Danny silently chuckling that karma got even with Eric for him. Eric rolled over to see that Ashley was attached to the foot that had tripped him.

"Remember what we talked about, Eric?" she asked slyly.

"It's hard to forget when you keep hurting me," he grumbled.

"Then why do you insist on singing those dumb songs?"

"Because it's dumb fun," he answered, standing up. "Look, I went through a lot of trouble to get that band." He pointed to the back of the hallway and the band waved to the entrants to the conversation. "And I'm singing a damn song with or without your permission."

He shielded himself from any future blows, getting laughs from Danny as well as Audrey, who crossed over to her sister, tapping her on the shoulder,

"Ash, what if he sang a song worthy of his vocal abilities?" she suggested, tossing a smile to Eric. "He did, after all, have to cash in his chip with Gabe to get these guys to follow him around."

Ashley's faux frown loosened into a grin. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to the band, waving to them. Audrey stepped away from her sister and moved closer to Danny.

"Good move," Danny said. "I know I haven't known Ashley, but I've been around her long enough to know she hates _High School Musical _more than anyone I've ever met."

"And you would be right," Audrey said bluntly. "She does like when Eric sings songs that she thinks are worthy of his voice."

"Feel free to sing along, Danny," Eric shouted. "These guys have a real gift for getting anyone to join in. I mean, it's not _What Time Is It?,_ but it _is_ a great song."

Eric began to sing, "_Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it together._"

And Ashley added, "_We may not go far, but sure as a star, wherever we are, it's together._"

"_Wherever I go I know he goes. Wherever I go I know she goes,_" Audrey trilled.

And Danny, unable to help himself, joined in with, "_No fits, no fights, no feuds and no egos, amigos, together!_"

The group stopped at the lab, where Sam, who had heard the singing, entered onto the scene.

"_Through thick and through thin, all out or all in,_" she and Danny sang, and Danny smiled at her when she joined in.

"_And whether it's win,_" Sam murmured.

"_Place_," Danny added.

"_Or show,_" Audrey sang.

"_With you for me and me for you,_" Danny beamed at his friends, putting one arm around Sam and the other around Eric. Together, the entire group belted out, "_We'll muddle through whatever we do._"

They waltzed down the hall, passing students, who were busy clearing out their lockers, joining in with the quintet, "_Together, wherever we go…_"

They passed the lockers. Tucker poked his head out of computer lab as he heard them go by. He jumped out of the room and into the group, looking for his place to sing.

The group continued, "_Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it together…_"

"_Wherever we sleep,_" Sam cried.

"_If prices are steep,_" Audrey proclaimed.

Tucker popped up behind the two girls and sang, "_We'll always sleep cheaper together!_"

The girls pushed him into Wesley Wells, who was trying to join in but instead broke Tucker's fall. Sam stepped out, she and Danny catching Tucker before he fell again, Sam singing, "_Whatever the boat I row, you row._"

"_A duo_," Danny sang.

"_Whatever the row I hoe, you hoe,_" Sam gave Danny another smile.

"_A trio_," Tucker cried joyously, throwing his arms around his friends as they walked down the hall together.

Ashley jumped in front of the first trio of best friends, looking at Eric, and crooned, "_And any I.O.U., I owe you-oh's?_"

Eric's face changed from happiness to confusion as he protested, "_Who, me-oh? No, you-oh._"

Audrey separated them, reminding them, "_No, we-oh._"

The boys all sang, "_Together!_"

The group moved in closer. "_We all take the bow—_"

"_Including the cow,_" Danny interjected with a grin.

"_Though business is lousy and slow_," sang Eric, Tucker, and Audrey.

Eric and Sam sang out while the others surrounded them, "_With Ashley's/Tucker's vim, Audrey's/Danny's verve,_"

"_Now all we need is someone with nerve,_" Danny, the twins, and Tucker sang.

Danny and Tucker broke off to the right while Ashley and Audrey went to the left.

"_Together_!" Eric and Sam cried.

"_Together_!" Danny, Tucker, Ashley, and Audrey added.

"_Wherever_!" Eric and Sam exclaimed.

"_Wherever_," Danny and the others agreed.

"_Together, wherever,_" Eric and Sam repeated, and then the quintet cried together,** "**_Together, wherever we go…_"

Sam stepped in front of them, placing her hand out, "_If I start to dance…_"

Eric grabbed her hand and allowed her to twirl him. He grabbed her hands and the two shared a brief dance. "_We both start to dance_."

They both added, "_And, sometimes, by chance, we're together…._"

Audrey took the lead and sang, "_If I ring B flat…_"

She belted out a "B" flat, giving her sister her cue, and Ashley sang, "_We both sing B flat_!" They harmonized together with their "B" flats.

"_We all can B flat_!" Tucker belted out, off key, before singing with the girls, "_together_!"

Eric giggled and sang, "_Whatever the trick, we can do it._"

Danny threw his arm around Eric, "_With teamwork, we're bound to get through it._"

Sam grabbed her boyfriend by his shirt and they sang together, "_There really isn't anything to it._"

"_You do it—_" Sam sang.

Tucker crashed into a wall, taking down Lancer's ant-farm, allowing them to escape.

"_I knew it_!" Eric cried.

All of them sang, "_We blew it together_!"

Danny stepped out in front of the group. "_W__hen the audience boos_…"

"_We don't drop our cues_." Eric grinned widely.

"_We always can use what they throw_!" Tucker screeched, completely off-key, especially on the drawn-out final note. He was promptly hit by tomatoes.

"_The fruit may fly,_" the girls sang, and the boys finished, "_but why complain_?"

"_Tomato sauce goes great with chow mien_!" the group let out brief belts of laughter.

"_Together_," Danny smiled at his friends.

"_Together_," Tucker and Audrey repeated.

"_Wherever_," Sam added.

"_Wherever_," Eric and Ashley agreed.

"_Together, wherever we go…_"

They stopped singing when they realized that they were right at the doors of the school. Ashley was at the end of the line when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and beamed when she saw who it was.

"Hey, Nathan," she said, flashing a toothy smile. "I forgot to tell you to have a great summer."

"Thanks," the formerly spectacled nerd said, smiling back at the girl, sans any sign of his braces. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

Before Nathan could even ask his question, the band ran by and vanished from the school only to run back in with Danny, Sam, Tucker, Audrey and Eric behind them, still singing, "_We go in a group, we tour in a troupe. We land in the soup, but we know the things we do, we do by threes. A perfect team..._"

Ashley turned to Nathan to see what he wanted to know before Eric grabbed her by the arm and cried, "_no, this way, Ashley! Together_!"

"_Together_!" the others repeated.

"_Wherever_!" Sam threw her hands in the air as she sang, and the others cried, "_Wherever_!"

"_Together, wherever we go!_"

The group danced down the street, the band following after them.

"Who are those guys?" Tucker asked, gesturing to the band.

"I'll explain later**,**" Danny said.

The band began to play as the friends bounded down the street, ready for what could possibly be the best summer of their lives.


	2. About Working All Summer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, or any song sung in this fic; I barely own the plot for God's sake. I own my OCs and that kind of makes me happy.**

**0000000000**

Danny and Sam sat alone on her couch at Fenton Works, Danny's hand slinking up toward Sam's shoulders. His attempts at closeness with his girlfriend were blocked by her catching onto his tactic.

"Danny, if you wanna cuddle, just ask," she said, dryly, causing her boyfriend to pout.

Sam chuckled at Danny before swinging her legs onto the couch and cuddling against her boyfriend's chest, getting that famous Fenton smile back on his face. Danny looked back down at her and they kissed, not noticing the prying eyes of Jack and Maddie Fenton appearing at the stairs.

"Aww, look at our boy, Maddie!" Jack shouted, the power of his voice knocking Danny off of the couch. "A real ladies' man, like his dad."

Danny buried his head into the couch, trying to hide his blush. Maddie raced down the steps, camera in hand. Jack, however, decided that the steps were too pedestrian and jumped from the top to the bottom, reaching the ground before Maddie, but causing the house to shake. Danny's embarrassment only grew when Jack scooped him off the ground and yanked Sam off of the couch.

"Maddie, get a picture of me with our boy," Jack said, kissing Danny on the top of his head, "and our future daughter-in-law."

"What?" the duo shouted together as the picture snapped.

At the Foley household, Tucker swung around the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes locked on his PDA, as usual. He looked up to see his parents sitting at the table.

"And a good afternoon to the parentals**,**" he said happily, flopping into his chair.

"Good afternoon, son," Maurice Foley said, his wife retrieving the grilled cheese sandwiches from the stove for her family.

"Tucker, we need to talk," Michelle Foley said somewhat firmly, sitting back down next to her husband.

"Shoot."

"Well, your mother and I have been talking and we think that it's time you finally got a job."

Tucker's jaw dropped. His parents wanted him to do _what_ now?

"Just for the summer," Maurice added. "If you like it you can keep until college."

Tucker's eyes darted from left to right, looking at both of his parents.

"Dad, Mom, if this is about my PDA busting, I swear that I'll be more careful," he pleaded.

"Tucker, it's not about the PDA," Michelle said, trying to calm her son down.

"We just thought you should learn a little more responsibility," Maurice added. "We all have to do it at some point or another."

Tucker let out a squeal of faux pain.

'I'll bet none of my other friends have to do this,' he thought, plotting ways to get out of this mess.

**0000000000**

At the Prometheus Hotel, the home of the Ridley-Saxon Investigations, Eric sat by the piano with Audrey, Ashley's twin sister, whose fingers were running across the keys, playing the guitar while she accompanied him on the piano. Eric opened his mouth and began to sing.

"_We're soarin', flyin', there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach_."

Audrey joined in, "_if we're trying, so we're breaking free_."

"_You know the world can see us in a way that's different than who we are_," Eric sang.

"_Creating space between us 'til we're separate hearts_," Audrey continued melancholically.

"_But your faith, it gives me strength; strength to believe_…" the two sang.

Eric leapt to his feet, belting out, "_we're breakin'—_"

He didn't even get a chance to say "free" before a frying pan hit him over the head, knocking him to the ground. Ashley stood over him, the pan in her hand.

"Why do you encourage him, Audrey?" she asked.

"Why do you beat him?" Audrey retorted.

"To teach him a lesson about where he stands vocally compared to that piece of **crap** musical series," Ashley countered.

"I'm not saying it's perfect, but he likes it," Audrey said. "And that should be enough for you."

"Me? You mean us," Ashley amended.

"Yeah, us," Audrey said distantly, returning to the piano.

"Ah, damn it!" they heard a female voice shout. "Martin, get out here!"

"Looks Dad's in trouble," Ashley winced.

"Elliot Malcolm Ridley!" another female shouted.

"So is Eric's dad."

Audrey hopped off of the piano, grabbing Eric's legs and directed her sister to grab his arms.

"Let's get out of here before things get really scary," Ashley suggested as she and her sister carried their unconscious friend out of the hotel.

"We're going to Nasty Burger!" Audrey called to her parents as they passed.

"Okay, kids!" Elliot shouted.

"Don't be out too late!" Scarlett Saxon added as the teens darted out of the hotel.

**0000000000**

"I still can't believe my parents are making me do this," Tucker groaned, filling out an application his mother had given him before he left the house.

"What's so bad about getting a job?" Sam asked.

"Says the heiress," Tucker grumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

"Guys, don't start fighting now; summer just started," Danny said, cutting in between his girlfriend and his best friend. "We have three months to get into fights."

"But don't you guys get it? I've never had a job before!" Tucker exclaimed, returning to his original point. "Why would my parents do this to me?"

"Why don't you apply for a job at a computer company?" Danny suggested.

"I'd actually do that, but my mom says that it wouldn't help me with my social skills," Tucker grumbled bitterly.

"And God knows _those_ need all the help they can get," Audrey said, entering the Nasty Burger and knocking off Tucker's beret before sitting down next to him.

Tucker quickly retrieved his beret off the table and placed it back on his head angrily.

"Do not mess with the beret," he warned.

"Okay," Audrey said, before waving her hands around Tucker's head. "I'm not touching it, I'm not touching it."

Eric reached out and grabbed his friend's hands, slamming them on the table.

"Please," he cried, "I have a headache and this isn't helping it."

"Yeah, what happened?" Sam asked, eyeing the cartoony bandage around Eric's head.

"_Someone_ hit me with a frying pan," he answered, pouting sadly.

"I asked," Sam muttered to herself.

"So, whatcha got there, Tucks?" Eric asked, his mood instantly changing back to chipper.

"A job application," Tucker moaned, causing Danny and Sam to groan again. "My parents want me to get a job for the summer."

"That is so like those people," Eric growled, changing back to his grumpy self. "They can't work, so they get their kids to work."

"Those 'what?'" Tucker asked, arching eyebrow at him.

"Nothing," Ashley covered Eric's mouth as he opened it to answer. "You'll find out later."

"So, where does your mom want you to work?" Danny asked, once again returning the conversation back to its original topic.

"At Clear Waters; it's a country club," Tucker answered.

"Really?" Sam raised her eyebrows. "My parents go there."

"Well, I'll make sure to spit in their drinks for you," he retorted.

"Do you have another application?" Ashley asked.

"I only have one on paper, but my mom keeps sending them over my PDA."

"Smart woman," Audrey snickered, watching her sister grab the application.

"You're not seriously thinking about getting a job there?" Eric asked. "I thought we were going to have fun this summer and not repeat the whole 'Crash McCain' incident."

"The what?" Danny asked, though he was somewhat unsure whether or not he wanted to know.

"It's best not to ask." Eric answered.

Cut to a black and white room, where Soulless Warlock is sitting in a wooden chair, nodding,

"He is right. It really isn't," he concurs.

**0000000000**

**Eric is dressed in a Evel Kineval-style suit and standing on the ramp, looking over a building he was convinced was a safe harbor for the occult and other nefarious schemes from Ghost Zone.**

**"Ready!" he shouted down to Audrey, who was aiming the ramp toward the window.**

**"Ready to roll, sports fans," she said, bracing for Eric's next move from the crane.**

**"Pocahontas!" He shouted, roller-blading down the ramp and through the window.**

**Eric flew through the air and crashed through a window, taking down a white-haired gentleman who was speaking at the hotel Ashley had been working at.**

**0000000000**

"How long did it take us to get you out of Secret Service custody?" Ashley asked.

"Four hours, four minutes and four seconds," he answered. "That's why I keep saying don't get a job at some swanky club or hotel. Then I won't be implicated in some kind of conspiracy again."

"But I actually wanna see what this place looks like from the inside," Ashley argued – for a girl with no social standing she loved seeing how the other half lived.

"I have an idea," Danny said, getting looks from everyone at table, as this had been the first real piece of dialogue he had throughout the entire story so far. "Why don't we all try to get jobs there?"

"That's actually a good idea," Sam grinned. "Is this a plot device?"

"Possibly," answered a disembodied voice.

"Fair enough," Sam said.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Tucker cried, smiling for the first time since he got to the Nasty Burger. "That way I won't have to suffer alone."

"So who's all in?" Danny asked, placing his hand on the table.

The remaining five placed their hands on the table, one on top of the other, before Eric and Ashley got into a slap fight that effectively ruined the act of solidarity between the quintet.

**0000000000**

A few days later the applications made their way across the desk of Mr. Morris Lester, Mo to his friends, the owner of Clear Waters. He was looking through them when his son, Nathan, walked through the doors of his office, his face covered in mud and leaves.

"Dad, you have to fire those people," he said angrily.

"Nate, I can't just fire them because my son said so," Mr. Lester replied, his voice carrying that 'I'd love to listen to you, but I choose not to, son' tone.

"They drove me and my golf cart into the lake."

"It could've been an accident."

"They built a ramp!" Nathan exclaimed. "Okay, what about what they did to the food at that charity event?"

"Honest mistake," Mr. Lester countered.

"It's not a mistake when it's a charity to stop nuclear meltdowns and the boxes with the food says 'Chernobyl Farm.'"

"You may have a point, but I'm still not convinced."

"Really, Dad?" Nathan asked, arching his eyebrow. "I would've thought that the month you spent in the hospital getting the mutant chicken out of your digestive tract would've been enough to get rid of this little gang."

Mr. Lester placed his hand on his still-injured stomach, rubbing the spot where the three-headed chicken had nearly pecked its way out of just one month ago.

"How did you keep from getting sick?" he asked.

"I threw it out the minute I cut off a leg and a new one grew back."

"All right; you have a point, son. I just hope I get the right ones."

"No need; I made a list." Nathan pulled a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and slammed it down on his father's desk.

"What has Ridley ever done to you?" Mr. Lester asked, reading over his son's suggestions.

"Nothing; he just freaks me out, Pops," Nathan said, turning his attention to the applications on the desk, spying Ashley's name out of the lot.

He picked it up and started reading it.

"Dad, I think we may have one replacement," he grinned, getting his father's attention.

Mr. Lester took the application out of his son's hands and read over it.

"Maybe," he said. "And I may have found the replacements for the other five."

"Seriously, Dad; you have to hire Ashley."

"Why?"

"Well, because she's not only beautiful, but she's really organized. She was one of the stage managers for the spring show Casper High did."

"I remember her; that little usherette you had a crush on?"

Nathan started to blush.

"I wouldn't say '_crush_…'"

"And you think that if you get her this job, she'll feel so grateful that she'll go out with you?"

"I wouldn't say that," Nathan said, nervously scratching his neck. "I mean, if she worked here, I could get closer to her."

Mr. Lester smiled at his son, all the while thinking about how he was going to fire the current employees and hire the new ones without the former trying to get revenge on the latter, Nathan, and himself.

In another conveniently placed plot device, the main characters got phone calls at different times that confirmed their summer employment at Clear Waters Country Club.

**0000000000**

**A/N: So, what'd you think? Like it? Love it? Think I should pull a Spaulding Gray and throw myself from the Staten Island Ferry?**


	3. Just Tryin' To Earn a Dollar

**Disclaimer: I do not anything featured in this fic. If I did I certainly wouldn't be a poor college student who writes on the Internet, I would just be a clown who writes for cartoon shows. I own my OCs and that is that.**

**0000000000**

Sam Manson hopped out of bed; she was, for the first time, happy to wake up in the morning. She wouldn't have to deal with her absurdly perky parents; she now had an excuse to not spend as much time with them. Sam rounded the corner and saw her Grandma Ida, putting up to her in her motorized cart, a wide smile on her face.

"Sammy," she said, examining her granddaughter. "You look very nice for your first day."

"Thank you, Grams," Sam said. "So, are the parentals anywhere in the vicinity?"

"In the kitchen, as always," Ida said, stirring around Sam and vanishing down the hall.

Sam silently slinked (_be impressed by the author's alliterative skills_) behind the doorway that led to the kitchen. She titled her head over and saw her parents – her father, with his head buried in the financial section, and her mother chewing her pancake, as if counting the number of times she chewed for proper digestion. She crept silently passed them, hoping they were too enthralled by their activities to notice her.

Unfortunately, her father was blessed with the hearing of a dog and sprang to his feet the moment the doorknob was turned.

"Sammy-kins!" he screamed, causing Sam to slip on the linoleum-coated floor and fall on her rear.

Pamela turned when she heard her daughter crash to the floor.

"Samantha, are you okay?" she said, helping Sam to her feet.

"I'm fine, Mom," she said. "I've got to go."

Jeremy and his wife briefly examined their daughter, especially her uniform.

"Samantha, what exactly are you wearing?" her father asked.

"It's just a uniform," Sam said, turning around to exit, only to be cut off by her father, who shut the door again.

"A uniform to what?" he inquired, his eyebrow arching up.

"I got a job at Clear Waters," she said, finally getting that off her chest.

"But, Sammy, we're charter members of Clear Waters," her mother said, a look of confusion on her face. "Why would you get a job there?"

"I did it to help my friends," she said. "Danny and Tucker got jobs there and I wanted to show them how to handle the people at the club."

Jeremy flashed a toothy smile, turning to his wife and speaking,

"Did you hear that, Pammy? Our daughter is helping her classless friends on how to handle _our_ classy friends," he wiped a tear from his eye. "If she didn't have so many subversive causes under her belt this would be a perfect moment."

Pamela patted her husband on the back before they both opened their eyes and realized that Sam was gone.

**0000000000**

The Fenton RV pulled up to the front of Clear Waters, the back door opening like the DeLorean in _Back to the Future_, and Danny, Tucker and Sam emerged from the back.

Jack's voice could be heard outside of the metallic walls of the RV. "Great Gobs of Ghost Goop! That place is bigger than Vladdie's!"

The bellow was interrupted by the image of a black sedan with tinted windows pulling up. The passenger side and the back doors opened and Eric, Audrey and Ashley hopped out from their respective doors.

"Hey this place is bigger than Drac…" Eric was cut off by Ashley's karate chop to the throat.

"Shut up," she sang out of the corner of her mouth.

Eric nodded as the second trio walked over to Danny, Tucker and Sam.

"You okay?" Tucker asked, when he saw Eric clutching his throat.

"I just threw up in my mouth a little," he said.

Tucker turned to Danny and Sam. "We have got to stop asking him if he's okay."

The sextet (_ha, ha, sex! I know, I'm immature_) walked toward the sprawling main building of Clear Waters. Mr. Lester and Nathan met them in the courtyard, both wearing power blue business suits.

"So you must be the new employees?" Mr. Lester said, a smile forming on his face. "I need you to give me your names. Nathan, take them down."

"I'm Danny Fenton."

"I'm Tucker Foley."

"I'm Audrey Saxon."

"I'm Ashley Saxon."

"I'm Eric Ridley."

"I'm Sam Manson."

"Samantha?" Mr. Lester said, looking past the group to the last girl. "What're you doing here?"

"I thought it would be a good idea if I had a little more job experience," Sam said. "Can't sponge off my parents forever."

Mr. Lester chuckled before shooting a look at his son that said, 'Why aren't you more like that?' Nathan rolled his eyes, his focus previously locked on Ashley, at his father.

"All right, kids, follow me and I'll tell you where you'll be working," Mr. Lester said, turning back toward the country club's main offices.

The sextet followed Mr. Lester into his office when Eric spotted the nameplate.

"Is your name seriously Mo Lester?" he asked.

"Yes," Mr. Lester answered. "Actually, it's Morris, but my friends call me Mo for short."

Eric snorted at the confirmation, pointing over to Mr. Lester, trying his hardest to not laugh.

"Is he okay?" Mr. Lester, oblivious to Eric's deciphering of the writer's terrible pun.

"He suffered some head trauma in his life," Audrey said. "But, he's a good worker."

"Especially in the area he marked off in his application," Ashley continued, finishing her twin's sentence.

"He signed up for the musical part of the club, right?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," Eric said.

"Well, you're in luck, kiddo, we've got one more spot open in that department," Mr. Lester, handing Eric a paper and a map. "This'll help you navigate around Clear Waters."

Eric took the map and raced toward the exit. Mr. Lester looked over to Sam, reading her application,

"Sam, you wanted to be a lifeguard?" Mr. Lester asked.

"Yeah, how many spots are open?" she asked.

"All of them, actually," he answered. "I had to fire them all."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"They were too," Mr. Lester said, fumbling for the right words, "mischievous."

"They loved torturing us and the people in the club," Nathan said, bringing the real reason into light.

"How many of you signed up to be lifeguards?" Mr. Lester asked.

Audrey raised her hand to answer the question.

"Ms. Saxon, you and Ms. Manson need to report to the pool," he said, handing Audrey and Sam their maps and papers. "Ask for a Mrs. Anson will be there and she'll tell you where the pool and the changing rooms are."

Audrey and Sam followed Eric's lead and exited the office. The middle-aged owner of the country club turned to Tucker, Danny, and Ashley, and looked at Tucker's resume.

"Mr. Foley, you didn't sign up for any specific job," he said, looking at Tucker suspiciously.

"I didn't know we had to do that," Tucker stated, feigning innocence.

Fortunately, Mr. Lester was able to see through B.S. hidden underground in reinforced concrete. That is one of the few plus sides to being the father of a teenager.

"I'm just gonna out you in the kitchen."

"What?" Tucker exclaimed.

"I'd say… dishwasher."

"_NO_!" Tucker screamed, almost fainting.

Danny caught his falling friend.

"Mr. Fenton, do you have a problem working in the kitchen?"

"Not really," Danny answered, shrugging.

"Good, then you can watch Mr. Foley," Mr. Lester said, handing Danny his and Tucker's respective maps.

Danny exited the office with a sobbing Tucker in his arms. Mr. Lester and Nathan were left alone with Ashley. Nathan broke the silence.

"Ashley, you're going to help me out with the day to day working of the part-time employees."

"Really?" Ashley asked, stunned at this.

"Yeah, I saw how well you and Sam did as the stage managers for _The Producers_ and I thought you'd be a good addition to the management program," Nathan said, blushing a little. "And Dad concurred with me."

"Thanks," she said, stuttering a little and blushing a lot.

Mr. Lester rolled his eyes at the two teens.

"Okay, you two get to work."

**0000000000**

Sam and Audrey, meanwhile, were walking toward the pool area when another familiar face turned the corner.

"Oh, my God!" Audrey said, covering her mouth.

"Wesley?" Sam blurted out, stunned to the former common law assistant from _The Producers_.

"Hey, Sam, what're you doing here?" he asked.

**0000000000**

**A/N: And that's chapter three, ladies and germs, tell me if you like it and I will update.**


	4. A Series of Unexpected Coincidences

**Disclaimer: I do not anything featured in this fic. If I did I certainly wouldn't be a poor college student who writes on the Internet, I would just be a clown who writes for cartoon shows. I own my OCs and that is that.**

**0000000000**

Sam stood there, stunned to see Wesley Wells – the jerk who had, in his own way, made her realize her feelings for Danny – standing in the hallway that led to the pool at Clear Waters.

"Wesley?" she exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"I work here," he answered, in his best "Captain Obvious" voice.

Sam turned to Audrey and asked, "Did Mr. Lester hire the entire Casper High student body?"

"No," Wesley said. "But it _is_ a rather convenient coincidence that we were all hired by the same place."

"He _does_ have a point, Sam," Audrey concurred.

"Please tell me he's not a lifeguard," Sam said, mainly to herself.

"I'm not a lifeguard," Wesley replied.

"I wasn't talking you," Sam shouted. "I was having a rhetorical conversation."

"I couldn't tell," he replied sarcastically. "I was just trying to set your mind at ease. I'm working in the music department."

"Good," Sam said, pushing past Wesley as Audrey followed close behind.

Wesley smiled a slyly. "And three…two…"

"And another thing," Sam yelled, reentering the room. "I am _not_, and have never, been interested in you. I'm with Danny and I love him."

"Good to know," Wesley said, rolling his eyes at her. "Sam, you explained this to me before the school year was over. I get it; I have no chance with you."

"That's right," Sam said, turning and leaving again.

"You keep telling yourself that," Wesley said when Sam and Audrey vanished, smiling in a sinister, albeit charming, manner.

If he had a handle bar mustache, he would be twirling it right now.

**0000000000**

Eric, meanwhile, was bobbing and weaving through the halls of Clear Waters. There weren't a lot of things for him to dodge; he just liked doing it. He twirled through the last turn and stopped in front of the door that read _Music Department_. Eric opened it and saw another familiar face.

"Sebastian?" he asked. "What're you doing here?"

"I work here," the music director of _The Producers_ said.

"Wow, I know a lot of people who work here," Eric muttered before thinking. 'Yet another conveniently placed plot point.'

"Who else is here?" Sebastian asked, ignoring Eric's slam into the fourth wall.

"Danny, Sam, Audrey, Ashley, Tucker and me," Eric said. "Okay, this is just weird."

"What's so weird about?"

"I just feel like some cosmic force is pulling this all out of its ass and doesn't know where it's going."

**0000000000**

**Inside the black and white room, Soulless Warlock's chair had a sign that read: "Using the commode, be back in 20 minutes."**

**0000000000**

"I doubt that's what's happening," Sebastian argued, before asking, "so, I take it you're gonna be working with me and Wesley?"

"Yeah," Eric answered. "Wait, Wesley's here too?"

"Been working here since the last talent coordinator was fired."

"Wow, this is really a strange set of circumstances," Eric said, raising his eyebrows.

**0000000000**

Tucker's cries could be heard throughout Clear Waters, Amity Park, and the outskirts of Jump City and Middleton. (This cat has got big set of pipes, doesn't he?) Danny dragged his best friend through the halls, the latter's nails digging into the floor, pulling up tiles and leaving claw marks in their wake, and into the kitchen.

"Danny, I will never forgive my parents for this," Tucker shouted, at his overly dramatic best.

Danny rolled his eyes, although it was difficult to deduce whether it was at Tucker or at the incompetent author's need to make him a silent protagonist and focus on the original characters instead.

"Tucker, we're here, we're working in the kitchen; can you please, please stop crying?" Danny begged, his frustration reaching a boiling point. "You know how you hate being around me when I'm depressed?"

"Yeah," Tucker answered. "It's really irritating, dude. First you're all, like…" Tucker let his arms sag to his side and he created a look of faux-depression. "Then you're like…"

Danny interrupted him before he could make his next move. "I'm so glad my lowest moments are so funny to you."

"Man, I was…"

"I know you were just joking," Danny said, interrupting him again. "You don't like being around me when I'm like that and I don't like being around you when you act like washing other people's dishes is the end of the world."

"But, Danny, it's not…"

"Tucker, I'm serious," Danny shouted, his voice abruptly cracking as his gaze reached the hallway, which was exposed by the open door.

"Okay, no need to get so testy," Tucker said, cleaning off his glasses during Danny's snapping session.

"I'm not mad at you, Tucker," Danny stated, his eyes widened in rage.

"What is it, then?"

"Wesley Wells is in this club?"

"Seriously?" Tucker asked, his voice cracking as well. "What are the odds?"

Danny, on the other hand, ignored his best friend and darted out of the kitchen, hoping that he could warn Sam of the upcoming unpleasant surprise.

**0000000000**

Nathan led Ashley to his unofficial office, opening the door for her.

"Thank you," she said, surprise evident in her voice.

"You're welcome," Nathan replied. "Not used to that, are you?"

"Well, when you're friends with Eric Ridley you kind of have to get used to things like people pushing you out of the way or being the accidental cause of losing all your wisdom teeth without surgery."

"Ouch."

"It doesn't really hurt that badly," she said. "Where do I sit?"

"Right there." Nathan pointed to a chair and desk not far from his.

Ashley sat down in her new chair and pulled herself into her desk, her knees slamming into something. She slipped back and reached under the desk, grabbing her cardboard assailant and pulling it out from under its hiding place. Ashley studied the poster, which read: "5th Annual Clear Waters' Talent Show."

"Do you still have this?" she asked, getting a distracted Nathan's attention. (_Curse women and their ability to get men to stare when they bend over._)

"Not for the last two years," he snorted, taking the poster from her.

"Why not?"

"The last group of employees were not exactly, um, what's the word…?" he mused, "_cooperative_ with the show and did everything they could to ruin it."

"Wow, that kind of sucks."

"Yeah, I really liked doing it too."

"Wait," Ashley asked. "You were in this?"

"Yeah," Nathan answered. "Some memories of it I kind of want to repress."

"Like?"

"My first show – I was 10, and I was terrible."

"I bet you were adorable," Ashley blurted out.

Nathan and Ashley's faces each turned bright red.

**0000000000**

Danny darted through the doorway to the pool. (_Alliteration is absolutely awesome_.) He spotted Sam climbing up the lifeguard tower.

"Sam!" he shouted, getting her attention…and getting her to fall into the swimming pool.

Danny's lips were almost air-sucked into his mouth and he let out an almost high-pitched squeal that a lot of men have made in their lives, the kind of sound that says, "Damn, my woman is gonna kill me for that."

Sam surfaced while all this was happening, her mascara running down her face. She hadn't bothered with waterproof mascara because there were no lives to guard and there wouldn't be for the next week. She looked at Danny, who was flashing that toothy grin of his, hoping it would be enough to save him from the wrath of his wet girlfriend. He didn't want to die before he could deliver his warning.

**0000000000**

**A/N: Sorry about the length of this chapter, I really just wanted to set up two subplots for the story. I will try to make this story rock the party like I want it too, but I need your help again. Just like pre-show chapters of Casper High Presents: The Producers, toss some ideas and I'll see what I can do. I don't want to spend too much time away from this story. Thank you.**


	5. Girly Screams and Wayward Workers

**Disclaimer: I do not anything featured in this fic. If I did I certainly wouldn't be a poor college student who writes on the Internet, I would just be a clown who writes for cartoon shows. I own my OCs and that is that.**

**0000000000**

Danny raced desperately around the pool, Sam in hot pursuit, a pool noodle being her weapon of choice. All the while, Audrey, who had made it to her station without any trouble, watched the young couple.

"No running," she grumbled in a dry monotone.

"Sam!" Danny shouted, dodging the noodle, not wanting to risk exposure of his ghost powers to Audrey or any other prying eyes. "It was an accident!"

"Yeah, and I'm about to cause another one," Sam snarled, swinging wildly at her boyfriend. The noodle eventually caught his legs.

This caused Danny to stumble, grabbing Sam in the process, and fall into the water, drenching his girlfriend for the second time in five minutes. The next thing they heard was the sound of Audrey diving into the pool, and she pulled them both to the surface.

"I told you two not to run," she smirked. "Accidents always happen when one is careless."

Danny rolled his eyes at Audrey's "lecture" before he and Sam decided it was a better waste of their time to push _her_ head underwater. The young couple swam to the shallow end of the pool, jumping onto the side. Danny took off his shirt and wrung it out before putting it back on again.

"So, what was so important that you had to get me all wet and make me run around like one of the cast members of _Baywatch_?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"First of all, your boobs are too small to ever be on _Baywatch_," Danny answered, offhandedly.

"Don't make me push you back in," she warned, her hand finding a new home on his back.

Danny quickly retracted his statement. "Sorry." He took a deep breath. "I came out here to warn you that Wesley Wells is here."

"I _know_."

"What?" Danny shouted, standing up in a flash.

"I know that he's here," Sam repeated, emphasizing every syllable. "I also know that he works here."

"He _what_?" Danny was suddenly turning into a California public school graduate, fumbling for the right words and shaking like he was having a stroke.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, standing up. "Cause I'm trained for an emergency."

"Then why didn't you come running to me and tell me?" he finally shouted. "We agreed that if either one of us saw Wesley, we would warn the other."

"Well, I didn't tell you because I knew that you would be getting into the groove of your job," she argued. "You know, the thing we all got so Tucker wouldn't get lonely or go insane?"

"Oh, crap!" Danny shouted, slapping himself in the head.

"What now?" Sam asked.

"I left Tucker alone," he moaned, turning on his heel and dashing back into the club.

"No running," Audrey shouted, pulling herself out of the pool, only to be pushed back in when Sam shoved past her and followed Danny, in hopes they would catch their mutual best friend before he did something stupid.

**0000000000**

Tucker slipped silently down the halls of Clear Waters, carefully surveying the area for any cameras. He turned the corner, seeing nothing. However, the sounds of feet hitting the ground made his ears perk up.

"He's only been alone for five minutes," he heard Sam yell. "How far could he have gotten?"

He then heard Danny shout back, "Please repeat what you just said."

"He's only been alone for five minutes; how far could he…" Sam paused for a moment. "Ah crap!"

Tucker snickered and hid inside of the nearest closet, hearing Danny and Sam pass the instant after the lock slapped shut. Tucker waited momentarily and tried to open the door. Nothing happened. He tried again and got the same results. The door locked from the outside.

"What kind of person has this type of a door?" he said to no one in particular.

**0000000000**

Sam and Danny found the music room. Sebastian, Eric and Wesley were practicing for the first wave of students that would arrive in the coming week. Danny stopped mid-step, his dagger-laden gaze never leaving Wesley.

"Wesley," he hissed, acid almost coming out of his mouth.

"Danny," Wesley retorted curtly, his expression matching Danny's.

"Okay, Newman and Jerry," Sam said. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way…"

"Ahem," Sebastian coughed, getting the Goth girl's attention.

"I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes. "Hello, Sebastian."

"What about me?" Eric protested.

"Oh, my God!" Sam exclaimed.

"Look, hello, everybody!" Danny yelled. "Has anyone seen Tucker?"

"No," Wesley replied indifferently. "I didn't even know he was here."

"I haven't seen him at all," Sebastian answered.

"I haven't seen him since I left the office," Eric added.

"Great," Danny grumbled before the sounds of a girl screaming could be heard all the way down the hall and in the music room.

"What the hell was that?" Sebastian said, looking around.

"Wasn't me," Eric answered. "It takes more than that to make me scream like a girl."

"That wasn't a girl," Sam stated. "That was Tucker!"

**0000000000**

The group raced around the corner to find Tucker lying on the ground. Mr. Lester was standing over him, next to a giant robot. Eric stopped, causing everyone to crash into and flatten him.

"What in the name of God is that?" Wesley asked.

"And what'd it do to Tucker?" Danny demanded.

"Well," Mr. Lester began to explain. "The people I fired when I hired all of you were… what's the best word?"

"Uncooperative," Ashley replied as she and Nathan entered through the third entranceway.

"That's the one," Mr. Lester said. "And they vowed to get revenge after I let them go."

"And you have a giant robot because…?" Sam ventured, standing up and trying to get her boss to elaborate.

"This Demolition Zoid is our new security system," Mr. Lester said proudly.

"That is awesome," Eric groaned, being helped up.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"I'm fine, but I'd check on Tucker if I were you guys," Eric said, hobbling to a chair.

Danny was already on top of that idea, slapping Tucker in the face in order to wake his friend up. Tucker opened his eyes, looking up at the robot.

"Ahhh!" he screamed, leaping to his feet and crashing into Eric's chair, knocking him to the ground.

"What in the name of all things good and holy is that?" Tucker screamed.

"That's your knee in my groin," Eric squeaked, tears welling up his blue eyes.

"Sorry," Tucker apologized, climbing off of his fallen friend.

"It's okay," Eric whimpered. "Can I have my chair back?"

"This is Mr. Lester's security bot. He bought it to get rid of his problem with his old employees," Sam explained.

"And, I guess, it helps with employees who are trying to run off, too," Danny glared pointedly at Tucker.

"That _is_ a plus." Mr. Lester nodded, after pausing to think.

There was a brief silence before Nathan began to clap and shout, "Okay, people, let's get back to work. We gotta get ready for the summer. It's the busy season!"

**0000000000**

**A/N: I'm hoping to find a way to integrate the talent show into the plot and split up the two main plots: The Danny/Sam/Wesley triangle and the Nathan/Ashley romance that nearly ruins her friendship with Eric. If you guys have any ideas, feel free to shoot me a private message or review.**


	6. New Friends and Another Plot Device

**Disclaimer: I do not anything featured in this fic. If I did I certainly wouldn't be a poor college student who writes on the Internet; I would just be a clown who writes for cartoon shows. I own my OCs and that is that.**

**0000000000**

The very next week, the club was full of its usual patrons. Everyone, from the dogs to the Mini-Me's… I mean, from employee to owner… was working their hardest to keep the high-maintenance club members at their happiest, or they would be beset by the vilest of all God's creatures: the lawyers!

**0000000000**

**In his neutral space, Soulless Warlock shivered at the thought of being attacked by lawyers. He raced to the door of the neutral space with wooden planks, a hammer, and excessive amount of nails.**

**"Fortunately," he said as he barricaded the door, "they hadn't made contact with Eric; he'd be the one I'd worry about the most. He has a natural talent for jacking people up."**

**He went back to barricading his door, before he turned back to the camera.**

**"I mean, do you really think Sarah Palin looked like that originally?"**

**He shivered again.**

**0000000000**

**Sarah Palin, a former Miss Alaska and one of the most beautiful women in North America, walked along the streets of Anchorage, her three-month-old daughter in her arms. It seemed like a normal day when, all of a sudden, a crash was heard. The next thing Sarah knew, a small form was thrown out of the window of a candy store. It collided with the future Vice Presidential candidate, kicking glass in her face.**

**Eric leapt to his feet, dusting the glass off of himself before gathering his candy and running for his life. The store owner raced out of the hole in the window, in hot pursuit of the little thief, not noticing that he had stepped on Sarah's head, pushing her face into the glass.**

**Six months later, Sarah was recovering from major reconstructive surgery. Her doctor walked into her study, from where she could see Russia, and removed the bandages. Todd Palin swore he would stand by his wife, no matter how badly the surgery had gone. The doctor, on the other hand, had made no such declarations, and so he lit himself on fire and jumped out of window when he saw what he had created.**

**"Mirror!" she commanded, ignoring the fact that her doctor lay burned to a crisp on her front lawn.**

**Todd picked up the mirror and handed it to his wife, hoping she would react well. He closed his eyes, prepared for the worst and got the surprise of his life when he heard her laugh maniacally.**

**"I love it!" she shouted, letting out this Joker-esque cackle that made even the toughest Alaskans' blood run cold.**

**0000000000**

Now that the writer has exhausted his political material for the night, back to the story.

Sam sat alone on her lifeguard post, watching the children, parents, and guests frolic and play. She couldn't help but wish that she could've had Danny all to herself this summer if Tucker hadn't been such a crybaby. Before she could think any further, she mentally slapped herself. Tucker was her best friend, too, and they would go through this sort of problem together.

Sam was so enraptured in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Wesley climbing up the side of the post. He tapped on the shoulder and caused her to jump. He reached out and grabbed her hand, keeping her safely on the chair.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sam asked, pulling herself back into the chair.

"I just came out to tell you that it's your break time," Wesley stated, his eyes giving her the old once-over. "And to tell you how great you look."

"Wes, have heard of the phrase, 'you come on a little strong?'"

"My mother always said that was my problem."

"Mothers can be right, sometimes," Sam retaliated. "Why don't you listen to her?"

"Because, like you said, they're right, **sometimes**," Wesley stated, smiling flirtatiously. "And I've learned that asserting authority is the best way of getting what you want."

Sam rolled her eyes before she climbed down off of the lifeguard post. She crossed toward the main office and entered the building. She traversed over to the break room where she found Danny sitting alone.

"Hey, Danny," she said, walking up behind him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Oh, Val, not now; Sam is here," Danny said.

"Jerk," Sam grumbled, punching him in the shoulder.

"You know I was kidding." Danny smiled, giving her a kiss on the lips.

Sam opened the fridge, retrieving her lunch. She was about to eat when Danny stopped her.

"Danny, you remember that I'm a vegetarian?" she asked, looking down at his hands.

"Ha, ha/" Danny pouted. "I had a surprise for you, but I'm not going to give it to you."

"What?" Sam said, giving Danny a sort of "what the hell" look.

"You were getting all prissy with me."

"I was not."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"No, you weren't."

"Yes, I was." She paused for a moment. "Damn it."

"Well, because you've acknowledged that you've been prissy with me, I'm going to give you your surprise." Danny grinned, standing up and putting his hand in front of her.

"Do I have to close my eyes for this?" Sam asked. "Because if this is anything like that time Tucker was drugged and dropped meat in my lap, I'd rather see it coming."

"It's nothing like that," Danny assured her. "But I would close my eyes if I were you."

**0000000000**

In the club, Sebastian was in the middle of coaching a rather duck-faced woman, whose voice kind of reminded him of a cross between the nasal sound of an untalented Audrey in _Little Shop of Horrors _and the acting in the film version of _Rent_. Sebastian wished he could tear his hands away from his piano to cover his ears, because he knew the louder his piano got, the louder she got.

His salvation came when Nathan and Ashley, who were making their rounds, entered the room.

"Prichard," Nathan, whose eyes were actually crossing at the sound of the voice, shouted, "it's time for your next student."

"Oh, is it really?" the woman – we'll call her Gail – asked. "I'm sorry I took up so much time."

"It's okay, Gail; I'll see you tomorrow," Sebastian said. "And remember, rest your voice."

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan; I know you wouldn't want anything to happen to my voice."

"How very true…" he hissed under his breath, getting a kiss on the cheek.

She turned and left the room. Even her walk pissed Sebastian off.

"Except for you to gargle on razor blades," he finished once she was gone.

Nathan chuckled at his friend's vicious statement.

"Nate, I know that you wanted to talk your dad into bringing the revue back, but I can't find a single talented person in this group," Sebastian said.

"I thought that it was open to the employees, too?" Ashley asked.

"It is," Nathan answered, "but between doing their jobs and rehearsal, they'd be worn out before they even got to the stage. We relied heavily on the members and their kids before we threw in employees."

"We can always ask Eric; he'll say yes to anything that's over the top or theatrical." Ashley said.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Sebastian asked.

"I gave him a break," Nathan said, winking at Sebastian. "I figured that only one person should be tortured by Gail's voice at a time."

**0000000000**

Eric was enjoying himself. He was working with his best friends and his boss was extremely nice him. He would give him breaks every time he tried to talk to Ashley, who was busier than ever with Nathan. He paused to think about what had just gone through his head, not noticing a golf cart barreling down at him. However, he turned around in time to dodge the machine, smacking his head off of the golf clubs in the back.

The golf cart stopped and the driver got out, running to the fallen Eric.

"Are you okay?" a feminine voice asked as Eric's vision slowly came back to him.

"Yeah, I hit my head all the time," he moaned, focusing on the voice.

When his vision returned, he saw a beautiful young girl standing over him, pushing her blond hair out of her face. She helped him up, apologizing as she did.

"I am so sorry," she said. "This stupid thing's brakes cut out and I lost control."

The golf cart was totaled, smashed against a tree.

"Why are you asking me if I'm okay?" Eric raised his eyebrows. "I should be asking you."

"My mom and dad say I'm not made of lace; I can take a little head on collision," the girl answered with an air of confidence.

"My dad says the same thing about me, except I'm more a blunt force head trauma kinda guy," Eric said, causing the girl to laugh and snort loudly.

"I'm sorry about that," she giggled, covering her nose. "I don't have any control over it."

"Don't apologize for it, then," Eric grinned. "I'm Eric Ridley."

"I'm Elle, Elle Montgomery," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Montgomery?" Eric asked. "Hey, is your mother…"

Elle cut him off mid-question, making sure she drove the point of talking about her mother home. "Yes, yes she is."

"That is so cool."

"Try living with her."

**0000000000**

On the highest point outside of Clear Waters, Danny lead Sam up the hill where he had laid out a picnic basket and blanket.

"Surprise," he said, moving his hands from her eyes.

Sam looked around, surveying the almost untouched landscape.

"My God," she declared. "Danny, this is beautiful. When do you find out about this?"

"I flew around a couple of nights ago," Danny smiled. "I figured I'd surprise you with it. That, and we haven't seen each other too much this weekend."

"Yeah, it's been a little crazy," she said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him. "So, what's here to eat?"

Danny's eyebrows rose suggestively, getting him a punch in the arm.

"I was kidding."

**0000000000**

At the pool, Wesley was sitting on Sam's post, watching the couple have their picnic, through binoculars.

"You do realize that borderlines on stalking?" Audrey asked, one eye on Wesley, the other on the pool.

"It is not," Wesley defended. "I'm merely watching to see if Fenton will make a wrong move."

"And then she'll dump him, and you'll swoop in, and pick up the pieces?" Audrey asked.

"Something like that."

"Dude, do you even _know_ Sam?"

"Well," Wesley growled, turning to Audrey, "I would be able to if I could at least be her friend."

"If you'd stop treating her like a piece of meat and like a friend she may actually accept you as one."

Wesley snarled at her, watching Sam and Danny's date continue. Meanwhile, Audrey's eyes returned to the pool. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Tucker trying to sneak away.

"What is he doing?" she said to herself, jumping down from her post and bolting after him.

Tucker was a hair's breath away from escaping Clear Waters when he heard the sound of Audrey hitting the grass.

"Where are you running too?" she called.

Tucker turned and shouted, "I'm running the hell out of here."

"Then who'll wash the dishes?"

"You!" Tucker shot back. "Because I can't."

"Why?"

"Have you seen those plates and cups?" Tucker bawled. "They're disgusting. I've never seen anybody who made their plates look that dirty."

"There's always another way for you to do your job and not cause a scene," Audrey sighed.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"A few," she replied, smiling.

Before she could speak, she heard somebody scream, "Man in the water!"

"Crap," she groaned before she dove over the fence and went back to her job.

**0000000000**

Nathan and Ashley were walking down the hall when Eric reentered the club, a smile plastered on his face.

"Looks like we found him in a good mood," Nathan said.

"Watch his mood get better," Ashley smirked.

"Do you wanna know why I'm in such a good mood?" Eric inquired.

"Not really," Ashley shook her head. "But, guess what?"

Eric's mouth curved into a pout. "What?"

"Remember when I told you about the music revue?" Ashley asked.

"Yep."

"Well," Nathan said, "I've just talked to my father and he's bringing it back."

"And we want you to sing in it," Ashley finished.

"Really?" Eric asked. "I know just what I wanna sing… _once in a lifetime means there's_—"

"Nothing from _High School Musical_!" Ashley and Nathan shouted together.

"Okay," Eric grumbled, sulking off.

**0000000000**

Danny and Sam finished their meal and were in the middle of a rather spirited make-out sessions when Sam looked at her watch.

"Danny, we have to stop," she ordered, Danny's lips pressing onto her neck.

"Why?" he questioned.

"I have to get back to work," she said, pulling away.

"C'mon." He smirked. "Why?"

"Let me go," Sam said, sitting up and walking away.

Danny grumbled as she walked away and seemingly walked into Wesley's arms, who grinned as Sam pushed by him and walked back into the building. He growled, watching Wesley stare lustfully at his girlfriend. Danny knew full well that he could trust Sam and he knew that he didn't own her, but he couldn't help but wonder what Wesley was planning.

He grinned before looking around and making sure no one was watching him. Danny made the transformation from Danny Fenton to Danny Phantom, floating up into the sky and turning invisible. If Wesley had some sort of elaborate plan to steal Sam from him, he would out and he would stop it.

**0000000000**

**A/N: Another chapter done. I hope it has met up with your expectations. I'm planning on making the next chapter longer so I can flesh out all of the storylines. If you have any ideas on how to make this story better, review and tell or private message me and tell me.**


	7. How Was Your Day Today?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom. I do own Eric and his family and friends. I don't own the song featured in this chapter. I wish I did because it was one of my favorites in **_**Mamma Mia!**_** I also do not own the Butterfly Boucher and David Bowie duet of "Changes;" that belongs to David Bowie himself.**

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The sun shined down on the room of Wesley Wells. It was one of those rare occurrences for the normally sullen and pissed-off teenager. For the first time since his testicles dropped, he was in a good mood, and, ironically enough, his parents had a Goth girl to thank for this sudden change in demeanor. Wesley leapt out of bed and retrieved his work clothes: a nice button down shirt and a pair of khaki pants.

Normally this would be a little preppy for his taste, but when impressing the girl of one's dreams, one must dress nicely, so she can see that one is able to mingle with all sides of the spectrum. Today would the day he had been waiting for since the play; Sam would finally see she wanted him and not that irritating Fenton. How though? Well, that would be giving too much away, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?

"I'm off to work," he declared, slamming the door behind him.

"What have I told you about slamming doors?" a female voice screamed.

**0000000000**

At Clear Waters, Danny, Sam and Tucker had arrived for work. Tucker was, of course, the most enthusiastic of the trio. And by enthusiastic, I mean he was acting like a Moaning Myrtle. Tucker looked around, hoping that Audrey would show up on time for once, and that she would hold up her end of the bargain. Danny and Sam went off to do their duties before the club opened at eight o'clock, leaving the tech-nerd alone.

He wasn't alone for long when he felt a finger tap him on the shoulder.

"Ahh!" Tucker screamed, jumping into the air.

"Ahh!" Eric screamed back, falling backwards.

The two teens carried on for a good minute and a half before they were interrupted by Ashley and Audrey, who had heard the spectacle from down the hall.

"Guys? Guys?" Ashley said, trying to break through the hysterics, "I'm sorry to be interrupting another deep and philosophical conversation, but I think you need to get to work."

"Okay," Eric said, darting off to find Wesley and Sebastian, leaving Ashley and Audrey alone with Tucker.

"Audrey," Ashley said, smirking wickedly, "make sure Tucker gets to the kitchen."

Ashley turned on her heels and headed for the office she shared with Nathan. Tucker turned and looked over at Audrey, who was mirroringher twin's facial expression.

"What're you smirking about?" Tucker asked, for once, out of breath from all the screaming. "It better not be because you want to hurt me to keep in the club."

"It's not that, Mr. Foley," Audrey said. "I told you I had a plan to make your job easier. And I think it's brilliant."

"Of course you think it's brilliant; you thought it up," Tucker replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you'll think it's brilliant once you see it in action," Audrey said, grabbing Tucker by the arm and leading him down to the kitchen.

"So long as it doesn't involve me wearing a dress, I'm cool with it," Tucker said.

Audrey stopped, let go of his arm, and looked at the techno-geek, tilting her head in confusion.

"It's a long story," Tucker replied to her wordless question.

"You're gonna have to tell it one day," she said, grabbing his arm again. "Oh, yeah; we may have to get rid of Danny if we want my plan to work."

**0000000000**

In the main offices, Mr. Lester was seeing one of the last of many early morning interviews to fill positions that his previous employees had scared away. Mr. Lester shuffled through the papers on his desk, hoping that Nathan remembered to get the mail this morning. His hand grazed a piece of paper crumpled up on the desk. Lester took the paper into his hand and opened it.

The older man's eyes moved back and forth across the paper, widening as he read the paper. He grabbed his phone and dialed a series of number.

"Nathan," he said. "When you get this message, don't call me back. Just come to my office."

Mr. Lester placed the phone back onto its receiver before jumping to his feet and racing out of his office.

**0000000000**

Danny was pacing the kitchen floor, hoping that Tucker would show up soon. He didn't have to wait long, because no sooner had those words been written than Tucker and Audrey ran into the kitchen.

"Oh, yes!" Danny shouted, pumping his hands into the air. "Tuck, can you cover for me? I have to take care of something."

Tucker and Audrey exchanged fairly to moderately surprised glances before Tucker said, "Sure thing, Danny."

"Thanks," Danny said, racing out of the kitchen.

"That was convenient," Audrey said, pointing out the plot device.

"Yeah, I know," Tucker said. "What's your plan?"

"Well…" Audrey said, darting out of the kitchen and running into the lifeguards' locker room.

She returned moments later with a bag, dropping it onto the floor. She opened the bag and pulled a oddly shaped apparatus.

"Okay," she said, placing it by the sink.

"What the hell is that?" Tucker asked.

"A little invention of mine," Audrey answered. "Well, actually it's a design that I stole from my cousin, Luke."

She bent over and pulled a remote out of her bag, pressing the button. The apparatus activated. A long arm reached out and bent its hand into the water, pulling out a dish. Its second arm extended up and retrieved a rag, wiping the remaining pieces of food from the dish before placing it next into the dish holder by the dishwasher.

"And then, you just push the holder into the dishwasher, turn the dishwasher on, and, in two minutes, you've got yourself squeaky clean dishes that you can now touch." Audrey shouted dramatically.

"I love you," Tucker declared, moving toward the sink.

Audrey smiled as her hand flew up in front of Tucker, placing the remote in his hand, and walking out of the kitchen.

"Just remember," she warned. "Use this power wisely."

**0000000000**

Later that day, Eric was looking out the window of the music room, noticing that Wesley was still over at the lifeguard post, talking to Sam. The eccentric young man's nose perked up and squinted at the sight in front of him; Wesley's shoelaces had tied themselves together and caused the otherwise graceful boy to trip and fall over.

It was then that Eric was given an almost godlike inspiration to move the rather slow plot of this story. He hopped onto the piano, scaring the distracted Sebastian.

"Hey, Sebastian, do you know any good montage music?" he asked, giving a smile that took most of the muscles in his face to use.

"Eric," Sebastian said, readjusting himself uncomfortably in his seat. "Could you not smile that? It's kinda freaky."

"Okay," Eric said. "Do you have any good montage music?"

"Eric. As much fun as whatever it is you're thinking about may be, I've got work to do," Sebastian said, his eyes catching the clock.

"Oh, just tell Gail that she and harmony make as good a couple as your testicles and a cheese grater," Eric blurted out.

"Well, I hope I'm not that bad," a new voice said, causing Eric to look up.

This action, however, also caused him to lose his balance. His knees slipped out from under him and he did a split on the piano. Eric fell backwards and landed on his back. The voice, which belonged to Elle, raced around the piano and bent over next to Eric.

"Are you okay?" she asked, helping Eric sit up.

"You alright, Little Buddy?" Sebastian said, voicing the same concern.

"I'll be fine," Eric groaned, standing up. "I got kneed there by Tucker a couple of days ago. So if they can take a knee, they can take a little yank from my calfs."

Sebastian and Elle exchanged a look that seemed to say, "ooookay."

"What're you doing here, Elle?" Eric asked.

"Well, I heard through the grapevine…" Elle began, before Eric cut her off.

"Your mom?" he asked.

"Yes," Elle said, slightly annoyed at her new friend's constant questioning about her mother.

"And who is your mother?" Sebastian asked.

Eric started to speak, "Her mom is Er…" but Elle quickly stepped on his foot, causing him to stop talking and tend to his foot.

"My mother would rather not be connected to any rumors, but if you really wanna know," Elle leaned over and whispered something in Sebastian, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" He asked, "You don't look anything like her."

"They say I look more like my dad," Elle said. "If you want the one that looks just like my mom, my sister is a dead ringer for her when she was younger. And, yes, my dad is husband number ten."

"So, 'you heard through the grapevine…'" Sebastian said, reminding Elle of her original topic.

_"Not much longer would you be mine,"_ Eric sang before shutting up when Sebastian glared at him. "Sorry."

"Like I said, I heard through the grapevine that Clear Waters was bringing back the old musical revue and I wanted to get my voice back into shape for it," she said, placing her arms on the piano.

"Well, I guess the daughter of a celebrity would be a good addition to roster of no one," Sebastian snarled.

"So, I guess I'm no one," Eric said, crossing his arms, jutting his head up and pouting.

"Okay, someone other than Eric," Sebastian said. "If you can pull a random song of my choosing, I'll talk to Nathan and see what I can do."

"Ooh, thank you," Elle said, her demeanor changing from moody to perky.

She cleared her throat and looked at Sebastian, who was flipping through his book. The door opened and the band entered.

"How'd you guys get away from the concert?" Eric asked.

**0000000000**

**In the neutral space, Soulless Warlock, wearing a nicely pressed tuxedo, was tied up a gag over his mouth. And a good thing, too, because the closed captions inside the neutral space read a little something like this:**

**"Get back here, you [expletive deleted] or I swear I'll [expletive deleted] you with an [expletive deleted] and [expletive deleted] and a llama!"**

**0000000000**

Eric darted over to Sebastian and whispered something in his ear.

"Seriously?" Sebastian asked, clearly frustrated with a change in his plans. "Change of plans, Elle."

"What kind of change?" Elle asked.

"The writer wants to show the scenes between the canon characters and the injuries of an OC, because it's so funny," Sebastian sarcastically replied.

"What is his damn problem?" Elle asked. "I'm Elle Montgomery."

"Like mother, like daughter," Eric said, smiling.

"So what're we doing?" she asked.

"We're singing that version of 'Changes' from _Shrek 2_," Eric answered.

"I like that song," Elle said. "So when does the scene change?"

"Right now," Eric said.

**0000000000**

"_Oh yeah…Mm…Still don't know what I was waiting for, and my time was running wild_…" Elle sang, off-page but on-key.

Around the pool, Wesley placed a bouquet of flowers on the picnic table while he prepped himself. Danny, in ghost form and invisible, grabbed the flowers and replaced it with a bouquet of rose stems, complete with thorns.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Wesley screamed when he took them, getting looks from the people around the pool and the lifeguards.

"_A million dead-end streets and every time I thought I'd got it made…_" Elle's voice continued.

Inside the music room, Eric was watching, completely enthralled at the sight of Elle singing,

"_It seemed the taste was not so sweet…_"

Wesley, a bandage wrapped around his hand, returned to the poolside, not noticing Danny, who was squirting suntan lotion on the smooth ground.

"_So I turned myself to face me, but I've never caught a glimpse of how the others must see the faker,_" Elle trilled.

Wesley slipped on the lotion and fell face first into the breasts of a rather robust woman.

"_I'm much too fast to take that test… Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…_"

In the room, Eric was dancing in his seat as The Band joined the song. **"_Turn and face the strain!_" **they sang.

"_Ch-ch-changes,_" Eric belted out."_Don't want to be a richer one… Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…"_

**"_Turn and face the strain!_"**

"_Ch-ch-changes,_" Elle crooned,_ "just gonna have to be a different one. Time may change me, but I can't trace time._"

"_I watch the ripples change their size,_" Sebastian added.

Wesley, with a big black eye, watched as Sam entered the cafeteria, getting ready to eat. He decided to sit across from her, unaware that Danny was spraying the seat with mustard and ketchup.

"_But never leave the stream of warm impermanence…_"

Wesley sat down and felt something wet. He sat up and checked himself, realizing that he had condiments on his ass and everyone in the cafeteria noticed too. He left the room with all the occupants, including Sam, laughing at the scene.

"_So the days float through my eyes, but still the days seem the same,_" Sebastian continued.

Eric, meanwhile, decided to join and sang directly to Elle, _"A__nd these children that you spit on, as they try to change their worlds, are immune to your consultations, they're quite aware of what they're going through._"

The group sang together, Eric taking a seat next to Elle, both smiling at each other.

"_Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…_"

**"_Turn and face the strain!_"** cried the Band.

**"_Ch-ch-changes…_"**

"_Don't tell them to grow up and out of it!_" Elle sang.

**"_Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…_"** the group repeated.

"_Turn and face the strain!_"

**"_Ch-ch-changes…_"**

"_Where's your shame, you've left us up to our necks in it!_" Sebastian exclaimed.

"_Time may change me, but you can't trace time!_" the trio sang.

**"_Strange fascination, fascinating me!_"** Eric and Elle cried.

Sam was sitting under the tree on the rise where she and Danny had had their picnic a few days before, waiting for him.

**"_Ah, changes are taking the pace I'm going through… Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…_"**

Wesley, wearing new pants (he ch-ch-changed his pants), popped up behind the tree, a jar of Ultra-Recyclo Honey in his hand. Danny was, of course, closer than either one of them knew, dropping a beehive onto Wesley, who screamed and raced off, falling down the hill as he did.

**"_Turn and face the strain!_"**

Sebastian's piano joined the instrument mash-up, as the musical director sang with his friends, "C_h-ch-changes…_"

Elle put her arm around Eric, belting out, "_O__h, look out, you rock 'n' rollers!_"

**"_Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes..._"**

**"_Turn and face the strain!_"**

**"_Ch-ch-changes…_"**

Sam ran into Wesley, who was now bloated up like a blowfish.

"_Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older!_" Sebastian sang.

Wesley turned and ran away from Sam, hoping nothing bad would happen to him. He didn't count on the fact that someone had glued his shoes to the ground, causing him to spill out of them and hit the floor.

Meanwhile, Elle was reaching the end of her audition, belting out her last solo part, **"_T__ime may change me, but I can't trace time!_"**

The trio concluded together, **_"__I said that time may change me, but I can't trace time_."**

"That was so cool," the leader of The Band stated, following his mates out the door.

"You guys aren't gonna stay?" Eric asked. "I wanted to rock with you guys more."

"Don't worry, Day Walker, you got us for the whole summer," the female keyboardist said.

"You'll see us again," the bassist said. "But right now we've got to check on another musical number in the making."

"Okay," Eric said, in a manner that would remind The Band's leader of his five-year old brother. "I'll see you guys later."

**0000000000**

Later that day, Nathan Lester was on top of the world… well, actually, he was on top of his father's country club. But, having Ashley Spencer on top of the building with him certainly made the view better.

"So, I was thinking about something," he said, breaking the silence.

Ashley jumped when Nathan started to talk.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered. "I was just was getting used to the quiet. My dad and Eric barely stop talking long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise without someone hitting them, let alone are quiet for five minutes."

"Sounds rough," Nathan admitted. "A lot of people used to think I talk too much."

"I don't think you have that problem," Ashley stated, lying back on the roof with Nathan.

"Back when I looked like your stereotypical nerd, I talked way too much," he intimated. "Valerie agreed to go with me to the senior prom just to get me to shut up."

"That's horrible," she said, turning onto her side and staring right at him. "And another thing, you looked nothing like _my_ stereotypical nerd."

"I looked like everyone else's through. The whole prom thing kinda gave me my wake-up call," he continued. "Nobody likes a guy who can only talk about one or two things with great knowledge. But what am I talking about? You probably never had that problem."

"Are you kidding?" Ashley crowed. "I was raised by Steve and Scarlett Saxon. Those two hunt ghosts and demons for a living. When I was five all I did was talk those two things. I knew more about them than my grandfather. And he operates on them," she paused for a moment and took a breath. "Sorry. I can get a little ranty sometimes."

Nathan started to chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand.

"What's so funny?"

"You are," he said, turning onto his side. "You're worried about annoying me."

"Well, you've been so nice to me," she responded. "I mean, you've let me talk, you've listened, and you haven't burst into spontaneous song and dance."

"That sounds like fun, though."

"Not if you've lived it every day of your life since Eric learned to talk."

**0000000000**

Sam stepped out of the locker room, placing her whistle in her pocket. She looked around for Danny, hoping he hadn't done what she thought he might have been doing all morning. Danny turned the corner, racing over to Sam and throwing his arms around her. Sam pulled away from his attempted kiss.

"What is it?" Danny asked, feigning innocence.

"Danny, were you in the kitchen all day?" she asked.

"Yeah, somebody had to pick up the slack for Tucker not doing his job," Danny answered, looking Sam in the eyes.

"Because a lot of strange things have been happening today," Sam said casually.

"Sam, this is Amity Park," Danny said. "Strange things happen every day. I mean, if something strange didn't happen someone would think _that_ was strange."

"You do have a point there," she concurred. "But I mean weird things have to happening to the same person."

"What d'you mean?"

"Specifically, they've been happening to Wesley."

"I hope I can find whoever was behind that and give 'em a big kiss on the lips," Danny said, smiling.

"Did your ghost senses go off at all today?" Sam inquired.

"No," Danny responded. "Sam, why do you even care if something bad happens to Wesley? You don't even like the guy." He paused. "Right?"

"Danny, I've told both of you, I am committed to our relationship," Sam stated. "Yours and mine."

"I know that, Sam, it's just… he makes me paranoid."

Sam placed her arm on Danny's shoulder. "I know that, Danny, but you've got to have a little bit of faith in us. Let's get outta here; why don't we go out?"

"Sounds like a plan," Danny agreed, smiling.

The Band reappeared, playing a rather upbeat tune.

"Look, I know you've been a little insecure about Wesley, but remember something, Danny…"

Sam stepped out by the pool and began to sing, "_I've seen you twice, in a short time, only a week since we started. It seems to me, for every time, I'm getting more open-hearted._"

Danny followed after her, Sam walking around the pool, singing to both Danny and the club members who were sunning themselves.

"_Your smile, and the sound of your voice and the way you see through me. Got a feeling, you give me no choice, but it means a lot to me… So I wanna know…_"

The girls who were sunning themselves dropped their reflectors and sang with Sam, _**"What's the name of the game? Does it mean anything to you? What's the name of the game? Can you feel it the way I do?"**_

"_Tell me please, 'cause I have to know,_" Sam sang,"_I'm a curious child, beginning to grow… and you make me talk, and you make me feel, and you make me show what I'm trying to conceal. _

The Band and the Club Members began to act like "Doo-Wop" singers while Sam sang, "_If I trust in you, would you let me down? Would you laugh at me, if I said I care for you? Could you feel the same way too? I wanna know…_"

They all joined in with Sam: **"_The name of the game!_"**

Sam walked closer to the pool, the swimmers kicking their legs in the air in a synchronized pattern.

"_I have no friends, no one to see and I am never invited. Now I am here, talking to you, no wonder I get excited,_" Sam continued.

The swimmers created a bridge for Sam, who stepped onto their hands.

"_Your smile, and the sound of your voice, and the way you see through me. Got a feeling, you give me no choice, but it means a lot to me. So I wanna know…_"

The swimmers, tanners and Sam all joined together on, **"_What's the name of the game?_"**

**"_Your smile and the sound of your voice,_"** the club members crooned.

"_Does it mean anything to you?_" Sam joined them this time.

The hand bridge began to move around the pool, carrying Sam with them.

**"_Got a feeling you give me no choice, but it means a lot…_" **the club members sang.

"_The name of the game." _Sam joined them here.

**"_I was an impossible case_,"** the club members continued.

"_Can you feel it the way I do?_"

They let Sam down gently on the other side of the pool in front of Danny.

"_Tell me please, I have to know,_" Sam sang softly. "_I'm a curious child, beginning to grow… and you make me talk and you make me feel, and you make me show what I'm trying to conceal. If I trust in you…"_

**"_Would you let me down? Would you laugh at me?_" **the club members added.

"_If I said I care for you?_" Sam's voice was flawless. "_Could you feel the same way too? I wanna know… oh, yes, I wanna know…_"

And the club members joined her once more: **"_The name of the game_."**

**0000000000**

On the Clear Waters roof, Nathan sat up, his ears perking up. He squinted before reaching into his summer jacket, pulling out a pair of binoculars. Nathan saw the sight in front of him – Sam Manson was singing, and so was everyone else.

"Holy crap!" Nathan said, a smile forming on his face.

"What is it?" Ashley asked, grabbing the binoculars from Nathan.

She watched – Sam had pushed Danny into the hand bridge and then led a group of club members around the pool in a manner reminiscent of the maypole, all the while singing.

"It's just Sam singing," Ashley said. "You already knew that she could sing."

"I know that, but…" Nathan stopped for a moment. "We've got to get back to the office."

"But the work day's over!"

"This isn't about the club, this is about the show," Nathan shouted, sliding down the ladder.

"What do you mean, the show?" Ashley asked, following.

**0000000000**

Around the pool, the "bridge" kept teasing Danny with the prospect of putting him back on solid ground and dry land.

**"_What's the name of the game?_ _Your smile and the sound of your voice_… C_an you feel it the way I do? Got a feeling you give me no choice, but it means a lot_. _What's the name of the game?_"**

They dropped Danny onto the grass by the pool, where Sam collected her boyfriend and walked toward the employee exit of the club, singing as she did, along with her ensemble.

**"_I was an impossible case_… _does it mean anything to you? But I think I can see in your face, that it means a lot..._****_What's the name of the game?_"**

**0000000000**

With the music faded, Nathan raced through the halls of the club, Ashley following close behind.

"We need to find my dad and tell him my idea," Nathan gleefully shouted, jumping through the air as he did.

"What idea?" Ashley asked, her curiosity and frustration equaling his giddiness.

Mr. Lester was standing at the end of the hallway. Nathan saw his father and raced toward him.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…" he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Did you check your messages?" Mr. Lester asked.

The younger Lester shook his head as the old Lester growled at him.

"Dad, you're not gonna believe this," Nathan said. "I think I found a way to get employees in the revue. They have to, these guys is too talented to waste."

"We can talk about the revue later, Nathan; we have more important things to worry about."

"What?" Nathan asked, titling his head in an inquisitive manner.

"Ashley," Mr. Lester stated, "we'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Ashley said. "Nate, thanks for the great day."

Ashley's lips pursed as if she was going to kiss Nathan good-bye, but she stopped herself before any damage could be done. The young woman walked away, wondering what her boss and his son would have to talk about that she couldn't hear.

**0000000000**

The door to the Brooks household opened and Mrs. Brooks led her puffy and beaten son, Wesley, into the house. The usually independent boy now needed help to get to the couch. The quiet in the living room was soon shattered when Mr. Brooks came stumbling in.

"Where the hell have you two been?" he slurred.

"Wesley was at the hospital," Mrs. Brooks answered, glaring at her drunken husband.

"What'd he do? Break a nail?" the old drunk laughed.

"No, he was stung by an entire beehive."

"So?"

"And he's allergic to bees," Mrs. Brooks reminded Wesley's forgetful stepfather. "It closes up his airways and he can't breathe."

"Well, he's breathing now," Mr. Brooks stated. "He was probably faking it."

Wesley groaned in pain, trying to scoop up a pillow in his inflated hands to drown out the arguing.

"Could you be a little nicer to him?" Mrs. Brooks shouted.

"Fine; I'll be nice to the wussy," Mr. Brooks said, looking down at Wesley. "So, how was your day today?"

Wesley looked at his stepfather, cheeks like a chipmunk, and screamed as loudly as he could. Which wasn't that loudly, as his tongue was now two sizes too big for his mouth.

**0000000000**

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter because I know I loved writing it. Remember to press that nice green button at the bottom of the screen because it helps my self-esteem. **


	8. A Push in the Wrong Direction

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom. I do own Eric and his family and friends.**

**A/N: From here on out, the story is now rated "Teen". Some of the jokes featured in this chapter are a little more adult than the previous ones.**

**0000000**

Mr. Lester stepped out of his car, ready to get the club open before calling up his wife to drop Nathan off at Clear Waters. It wasn't his usual course of action when the summer began, but after that letter he received the day before he decided he wasn't going to take any chances with Nathan's safety. Keeping the car unlocked, another added precaution in case his old employees were waiting for him, he walked to the back of the main offices. All he had to do was get the Zoid out of storage and he would be in business for another day.

Lester forced the doors opened and entered the shed that was actually three times bigger on the inside than the outside would imply (I mean, honestly, do I think I'm writing for a damn cartoon?). The smirk he had had since getting out of his car vanished and was replaced by a look of terror. His Demolition Zoid was destroyed, the parts strewn all over the shed. The arms were hanging on opposite ends of the shed walls, the legs were busted off and shoved up its metallic ass, you know, really trashed the Zoid was.

Now that I'm done talking like Yoda, back to the story. Lester reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone,

"C'mon, pick up, pick up," he muttered."I bet that lazy little bas…"

"Hey, Dad," Nathan's voice said over the other line.

Lester caught himself before he could finish his outward thought, "Hi!" he cried, before his voice leveled out again. "Nate, we have a problem?"

"Aside from the fact that our old friends are trying to get even with us," he said, with a sarcastic emphasis on the word "friends".

"Yeah, imagine what would happen if they destroyed the Zoid?" Lester asked.

"That would be bad," Nathan replied. "Luckily that's impossible. They couldn't get within two feet of it before it reactivated."

"That's what I thought would happen too," the older man said. "But, apparently, we wrong."

"What?" Nathan asked, his voice going from cavalier to serious in under 5 seconds. "Dad, please tell this is some sick joke you're playing on me. Because I apologized for ordering fuzzy underwear in your name."

"You did what?" Mr. Lester bellowed.

'Oops," Nathan thought. "Nothing."

Mr. Lester shook off his rage, "I need you to get down so we can make sure that they can't get in."

"Gotcha," the younger Lester said, hanging up his phone.

'That would explain why I got that underwear in the mail,' Mr. Lester thought. 'I'll kill him later.'

**0000000**

Danny and Sam, followed by Tucker, **were** preparing for another long day at the "office", as they had come to call it. Sam disappeared into the locker room, leaving the two best friends alone. As they walked down the hallway to the kitchen, Tucker asked Danny something that had been bothering him since last Friday.

"Hey, Danny, where did you go when I had to cover for you?"

"I, um, went to fight Skulker," Danny lied, immediately realizing the mistake in his choice of ghost.

"By yourself?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend's lie.

"Yeah," Danny said, his voice cracking. "I can beat him on my own, you know?"

"Danny," Tucker said, shaking his head, "I'm not stupid."

"I never said that!" Danny said defensively.

"I'm not saying that you did," Tucker responded. "But acting like I believe that lie is an insult to my intelligence. What were you doing?"

Danny grabbed Tucker's arm and led him into the kitchen. He pulled his friend closer, their faces only inches away from each other.

"Okay, Danny-boy, but I want dinner first," Tucker quipped.

The look on Danny's face changed from apprehension to a look of annoyance.

"Kidding," Tucker said.

"I've been following her and Wesley around since four days ago," he whispered.

"You've been what?" Tucker nearly shouted. "Sam is going kill you when she finds out."

"Sam isn't going to find out," Danny shrilled. "I'm really careful."

"You're the one that's jacked Wesley beyond on all recognition?" Tucker asked, hoping this wasn't the case.

"I didn't know he was allergic to bees," Danny defended, causing Tucker to groan in fury.

"Danny, I thought you learned something from Poindexter," Tucker crowed. "You don't use your powers to push other people around."

"I'm not using it to push him around," Danny fired back. "I'm using them to keep him away from Sam."

"Sam can take care of herself," Tucker argued.

"So can Jazz, but that didn't stop Johnny13 from stalking her," Danny retorted, his face filling with fury.

Tucker opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. "You know what, fine. You wanna screw up what you and Sam have, I can't stop you."

Danny's expression changed again, this time to a look of guilt. "Tuck, I'm…"

Tucker raised his hand, effectively silencing Danny. "Do whatever you have to do, man. Just don't get mad when it blows up in your face."

Danny faded through the floor, vanishing from sight. Tucker stood alone in the kitchen before he heard something, or someone, you never really know in this story, crash through the doors that connected the dishwashing section of the kitchen to the cooking section. Tucker darted over to the kitchen, sucking back a laugh when he saw Audrey on the floor.

"I am going to kill whoever decided to lock these doors," she roared.

"How much did you hear?" he asked apprehensively.

"Only that Danny's spying on Sam," she answered, not noticing that Tucker was wiping his brow.

Tucker helped her to her feet and Audrey reached into the connecting room, retrieving her duffel bag once again. She pulled the automated hand-dishwasher…

**0000000**

**"Well, I can't think of anything better," Soulless Warlock, who had broken out of the ropes, fumed. "Don't judge me." **

**0000000**

Tucker's eyes, however, were not focused on his savior for the summer, but on Audrey, who was bent over in front of him, trying to find the remote control. He grinned at her almost Danny-like oblivious nature. She turned around and handed Tucker the remote.

"I'm hoping you don't need another lesson," she said, almost flirtatiously, "because I think Tucker Foley, of all people, could learn how to work a remote like this properly."

"You don't have to worry about me, Audrey," he countered. "I can handle anything with buttons."

"Which would explain why your laptop has so many viruses," she quipped, walking out of the room.

"You're just jealous because you've never ridden the T-train!" Tucker shouted, leading Audrey to come back into the room.

She grabbed his right hand and talked directly to it, "What's it like riding the 'T-train'?" she responded, in a shrill-sounding voice for the hand. "Starts out great and ends abruptly."

Tucker's mouth curved into an 'O'-shape at Audrey's rather risqué comment as she sashayed out of the kitchen, leaving him only with the giant hand that did all his work for him (forgive the pun).

**0000000**

Meanwhile, Ashley was walking down the hall, followed by Eric, who was talking her ear off.

"So, you don't have any free time?" he asked. "Not even time to watch for women wearing jeans that say 'Guess?' and we guess sizes disproportionate to the size of their butts?"

"Eric, can you please go away?" she finally said. "How many times have you asked me if I have any free time today?"

"One hundred and forty-two," Eric answered without any time to really think.

"Yes, yes you have," Ashley agreed, adding up the numbers in her head. "And what has my answer been all those times?"

"'No,'" Eric repeated.

"And what does experience tell you will happen if you ask me again?"

"You'll eventually say 'yes.'"

"Have I said yes at all today?"

"No, but that doesn't mean you won't," Eric stated.

Ashley's eyes widened in fury.

**0000000**

_A week ago, Ashley was in the bathroom. She stepped out of the bathroom stall, shortly after finishing her business with the old Porcelain fairy. She opened to the door to find Eric washing his hands at the nearest sink. _

_"You have any free time now?" Eric asked. _

_"Eric!" Ashley shouted. "What the hell are you doing in here? This is the women's bathroom!" _

_"It is?" he asked._

_"Didn't you know the sign by the door?" _

_"I just thought it was somebody that had to go really bad," Eric defended. "That's why their butt is so big." _

_"Get out!" Ashley screamed._

_Eric took that cue and ran out of the bathroom._

_Five days before today, Ashley was working on the stage for the show when one of the workers pushed a wheel barrel, stopping next to her._

_"Put it over there," Ashley ordered._

_"Hold on a second," Eric's seemingly-disembodied voice suggested, popping out of the barrel the man had. "I need to get outta here." _

_Eric leapt out of the barrel and landed on his feet, right next to her. _

_"Do you have any idea how uncomfortable travelling by barrel is?" he asked, his expressive morphing into the puppy dog eyes he used to get his way. "Do you have any free time now?" _

_Ashley opened her mouth to say something when Nathan appeared behind them._

_"Eric, aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked. _

_"Yeah!" Eric groaned, kicking up dust and walking away. _

_Ashley was in hers and Nathan's office, just last Friday, hoping she wouldn't run into Eric before she had to leave. She reached for the drawer and pulled it out to discover that Eric had crammed himself into the desk. When she pulled on the drawer, he sprang out of it, causing the entire structure to collapse. _

_"Whoops," he said, laughing sheepishly. "Have any free time now?" _

_Nathan, meanwhile, had heard the crashing and darted into the room to find one of his desks destroyed and Eric standing in the wreckage. His eyes and face morphed to almost 'Red Ranger' red as he charged at Eric._

_"I'd get out of here if I were you," Ashley suggested, positioning himself between her friend who was a boy and her best friend._

_Eric took that cue and jumped back into the tunnel he had dug to sneak into the desk. _

**0000000**

"Eric," Ashley cried. "Please stop, I can't take anymore flashbacks."

"Do you have any free time?" he asked, hope ringing in his voice, his puppy-dog eyes as wide as ever.

"The answer is 'no', no I tell you, a thousand times NOOOOOOO!" she screamed.

"Okay, I was just asking; you don't have to yell," Eric said. "You're really edgy today."

"I've got a lot of work to do," she snapped, turning to leave Eric in the hallway alone, mumbling something that sounded like, "I should've let Nathan kick his ass."

**0000000**

Shortly after lunch, Danny slipped out of view and transformed back into his ghost form, turning invisible. He floated over to the music room where Wesley had been spending much of his day. Danny looked into the window to see the plotting interloper lying prone on the couch, his body still swelling from Danny's attempt to keep him away from Sam. The room was empty as Sebastian had moved the voice classes outside, Danny didn't know all the details but he knew it had something to do with 'less witnesses' and 'getting a lighter sentence', but it wouldn't be for long. Sam had entered the room with a Slurpee in her hand.

"Hey Wes," she said. "I brought you a Slurpee, I think I got you Dragon Fruit."

"Muh favwite," he said, his tongue still two sizes too big for his mouth.

"I know it's your favorite," she replied, handing it to him.

Danny practically ripped the window seal clean off when he heard her say that.

"You posted it on this criteria of a friendship you emailed to me," she said, producing a piece of paper.

_Atta girl_, Danny thought. _Now finish him_.

"And, even though I think it's a little strange to go into a friendship knowing everything about the other person," she continued. "I would like to be your friend. I think you're a nice guy."

Danny slammed his head onto the window seal, not realizing that he, in his overly emotional state, had turned intangible. He fell through the wall and onto the floor, but, luckily, Sam and Wesley didn't hear him. Danny's feet and legs took on their spirit form as he floated over toward the couch. Wesley placed the straw in his mouth and began to slurp the wonderful bounty which Sam had bestowed upon him.

"I do think you come on a little strong," Sam said. "So I wanna set some boundaries. One: you're respectful to mine and Danny's relationship."

Wesley gave her a thumbs-up.

"Two," She continued. "There will be no physical contact without either of our permission until a certain probationary period."

Wesley and Danny both raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"Until we're both comfortable with each other in a way that isn't strange for me or romantic to you."

"Mace sence," Wesley said.

'"Mace sence,'" Danny mocked inwardly.

"And three: no more criteria," she said. "The best part about any relationship is the surprises that come along with it."

Wesley nodded at her as she stood up to leave the room, leaving her new friend alone with her really pissed off boyfriend. The unknowing Wesley continued to nurse the straw that gave him the sweet, sweet Dragon Fruit flavor of glory as Danny put his hand on the couch. The furniture piece turned intangible and Wesley fell through it. Danny allowed him to crawl out of the couch before letting go of the couch.

The half-mad half-a reached into Wesley's pants and gave him the biggest wedgie of his life before overshadowing him and pouring his Slurpee down his shirt. Danny exited Wesley, who was moaning in pain from Danny's attack. Sam heard Wesley's moans and reopened the door to find him lying prone on the floor.

"Wes, what happened?" she asked, kneeling down by him.

"I half mo idea," he said, "but, I pam in paim an I pam cold."

Sam looked down at the Slurpee cup and saw where it had been poured. Her eyes narrowed in fury at what her boyfriend had done to Wesley and lied about.

"Stay right here, Wesley; I'm gonna get help," she said, racing out of the room to find someone to help him.

**0000000**

Mr. Lester sat alone in his office, waiting for that other shoe to drop. He knew that if his ex-employees where going to strike it would be soon and it would be when he and Nathan least expected it.

**0000000**

**"Well, of course it would be when they least expected it," Soulless Warlock shouted to a mirror. There was no reflection, but it was more of a comfort thing for him. "What is my damn problem? I can't even tell a preemptive strike comes when the enemy least expects it."**

**0000000**

The owner of Clear Waters moved his hand over to the phone on his desk and dialed a number.

"Nathan," he said, when his son picked up. "I need you to gather everyone up. I have a bad feeling about losing the Zoid." He listened to Nathan's questions. "Yeah, I think they may just, that's why I need everyone to be on their toes."

He was about to hang up the phone before Sam darted into the room. "Hold on, Nathan," he said. "What is it, Samantha?"

"Something's wrong with Wesley," she said. "I think he may be having another reaction."

"Nate, call Lesley, tell her that Wesley is having another reaction," he ordered. "I'm getting it, just call her now."

The older man raced behind his desk and pulled out a leather satchel, unfolding it to reveal an inhaler and a syringe.

"He's been Nate's friend for years," Mr. Lester explained. "His mother gave me these just in case."

The two raced down the hall to the music room where they found the woozy Wesley crawling onto the couch.

"Wes," Mr. Lester said, grabbing the younger man's shoulders. "It's me, Morris, can you answer me?"

"Yeff," Wesley stated.

"Good," Mo said underneath his breath. "Use this, buddy."

Wesley's mouth flopped onto the inhaler and Lester hit the button, pumping the medicine into Wesley's throat and into his body.

"Is he all right?" Sam asked, legitimately concerned for Wesley

"The swelling should go down in a couple of hours, but I want to make sure he's okay," Mr. Lester said. "Can you watch him? Call me in here if something is wrong."

"No problem," Sam said, sitting next to Wesley, who was trying to get his wits about him only to fall into Sam's arms. "I am so sorry, Wesley," she apologized, cradling his head in her arms.

Outside of the room, Danny growled in fury at how wrong his plan was going. And, on top of that, Sam may be onto him. If Tucker proved to be Tucker she would know before if the day was done.

**0000000**

**A/N: Another chapter finished! Wow, that feels good. Please be kind, I'm not as confident about this chapter as I was about the last one. I'm also sorry if the actions of Mr. Lester with Wesley as far as treating an allergic reaction wasn't correct. I have allergies to cats and ragweed, but nothing so serious I would end up looking like a chipmunk. Again, if I was wrong, I apologize.**


	9. Invasion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the songs featured in this chapter. I do, as you know, own Eric, Wesley, Ashley, Audrey, Elle and Sebastian along with their friends and family, but that's it.**

**0000000**

Nathan circled the stage that had finally been constructed for the musical revue. He smiled as the men working put on the finishing touches, making the stage have an almost gazebo-like feel to it. Of course, the stage was a lot bigger than a gazebo, so it was more like a pavilion, to be perfectly honest. But it had shade for the daytime rehearsal.

Nathan's musings were interrupted when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Sebastian.

"So, um, you ever plan on telling me what you're planning, Lester?" the music director inquired.

"I'll tell you when everyone gets here," Nathan said, walking toward the stage just as the workers had cleared it and gave him the thumbs-up. "I hope you don't mind that I had them move your piano."

"No," Sebastian said. "I'm kind of glad you did. I was beginning to think _they_ moved it."

"You don't have to worry about them," Nathan insisted.

"Last time you said that, they drugged me and glued me to the piano," Sebastian fired back.

"We're taking every precaution to make sure they don't get here," Nathan insisted.

"You also said they wouldn't sabotage that charity dinner," Sebastian reminded, glaring at him.

"Why does everyone bring that up?" Nathan muttered.

"Because I **was** almost smothered to death by a mutant chicken!" Sebastian shouted.

"Could we please not talk about this?"

"Talk about what?" a new voice questioned from a few feet away.

Nathan and Sebastian turned around to see Eric waddling down the pathway. They noticed that there was a sort of ginger motion in his waddling.

"What happened to you, Little Buddy?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, Skipper, I was riding my bike last night and I rode with a little too much vigor," he explained before blurting out: "Gentlemen, I have crushed my scrotum."

Nathan turned to Sebastian, a look of disgust on his face. "We have to learn to stop asking him if he's okay," he muttered to his friend.

Sebastian chuckled under his breath, looking over at Eric. "Sit down, then," he commanded. "He should rest for a little. I don't want to hear him sing soprano anymore than you want him to follow Ashley around."

"Good idea," Nathan said, checking his watch. "Eric, have you seen Ashley?"

"Yeah," Eric said, squatting gently over the seat before sitting. "She's by the door leading out here. She wanted to take down the names of all the people auditioning for the show."

"She thinks ahead," Nathan said, smirking to himself.

"Yeah, all the planning does take fun **out** of spontaneity," Eric added, getting a strange look from both young men.

His face switched from a smile to a pout.

"My bike chain broke around the same time and I banged my head off the ground," he replied sheepishly.

"Okay," Nathan said, turning his attention up toward the club's entrance doors to the stage area. "Can you make sure he doesn't, I don't know, hide in a wheel barrel or destroy something while I gone?"

"No sweat," Sebastian said, sitting down at his piano.

**0000000**

Nathan darted up the walkway to the doors, opening them and finding Ashley standing a foot in front of him. The teens stopped, mid-step, their lips inches away from each other's.

Nathan gulped. "How many have we got?"

"Just the guys you wanted to audition and two other girls," she replied, trying to push him aside and get to the stage.

"That could work for my plan," he said, the smile returning to his face. "All we have to do is get, at least, four or five other acts. Do any of your friends **know** anyone that would be able to participate in the show?"

"And then what?" Ashley asked. "You've been secretive the last few days."

"That's because I don't want Eric to find out everything and ruin the surprise."

"Why do I have a feeling this surprise is going to be really anti-climatic?"

**0000000**

**"Because it most likely will," Soulless Warlock quipped from his neutral space.**

**0000000**

"Okay, you wanna know what my plans are?" he asked, grabbing her by the hand. "Come with me," he ordered, opening the doors, the auditionees following him to the stage.

Sam Manson was searching the grounds, having missed Danny early in the morning, hoping to find him so he could audition for the show. This could honestly be the chance to shine together, onstage. All it would take was the right song and the right partner, if she could find him in time.

"Danny?" she shouted. "Danny? Where are you?"

Turning a corner, she collided with another figure. Tucker crashed to the ground, soon followed by Sam.

"Sam?" the techno-geek inquired. "What are you doing on this side of the building?"

"Looking for Danny," she said. "Have you seen him?"

"No," Tucker answered. "I haven't really seen him in a couple of days."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Sam said, her tone changing from frantic to concerned. "What have you two been fighting about?"

"Who says we're fighting about anything?" Tucker fired back, his voice becoming louder with each syllable.

"Danny told me," Sam answered. "I can kind of notice when my boyfriend is upset about something."

"Why don't you try talking to him about it?" Tucker raged. "Oh, wait, I forgot, you would except he'd lie to you."

"Lie to me about what?"

"Sam, I promised Danny I'd keep a secret for him but after what happened to Wesley, I can't." Tucker started. "Danny's the one who's been beating Wesley like the only brunette in a family of redheads."

"He's what?" Sam asked, shaking her head. "Repeat that please."

"Danny is the one that caused Wesley to be attacked by that beehive and all the other 'beautiful' things that happened to him in the last two weeks," Tucker said, steam practically fuming off of his head.

The steam coming off of his head was nothing compared to Sam's face, which was beet red.

"Well, I thought that's what would happen," Tucker said, watching Sam stomping off. "Maybe I did something wrong?" he questioned aloud. "This is going to be ugly. What have you done, Foley?"

**0000000**

**"Probably ruined the relationship of your best friends," Soulless Warlock stated.**

**"Hey, I wasn't talking to you!" Tucker shouted, appearing in the neutral space.**

**"How'd you get in here?" the writer demanded, nearly hopping out of his chair.**

**"The same way you get into **_**our lives**_**! I imagined it and it happened," Tucker said, grabbing the strap that was hanging on the side of the chair and wrapping Soulless Warlock in it.**

**"What're you doing?" he shouted. "I'm warning you, Tucker; I'll get a lawyer. There'll be hell to pay!"**

**"Shut up, Grinch!" Tucker said, flipping on his PDA.**

**Tucker pressed a button on his PDA, causing the chair to peel out like a racecar at Talladega and slammed through the wall.**

**"Ha!" Tucker shouted. "That should take care of him for a while. Fortunately the story can continue without him." **

**0000000**

Danny, meanwhile, had slipped out of ghost form and snuck into the back of the club where he and the others had seen the stage being constructed in the last few weeks. He was behind the crowd when he saw Sam walking down the walkway out of his peripheral vision. Danny turned around and instantly regretted doing so as Sam did not look too happy.

"Anything wrong?" he asked, his voice breaking as he did.

"No," Sam said, steam radiating off her head.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked. "Because you're starting to look like a spontaneous combustion patient."

"We'll talk about it later, Danny," she screeched, causing Danny to jump back.

"Okay," he muttered, unsure of what to do next.

On the stage, Ashley held up a sign that read, "Quiet Please."

"There's a lady on stage?" Eric questioned.

"Quiet please," Ashley shouted.

"There's a woman up there," Eric fired back, hoping out of his seat.

"Eric, please stop the obscure lyric references!" she ordered, which lead to Eric sitting down again.

"Okay," he said, his pout returning.

"As you know," Nathan said, entering from stage left, "My father was thinking about canceling this show because our last batch of employees were, for lack of a better term, idiots who wanted everyone at the club to suffer. However, thanks to a new batch of employees, one in particular, I have enough confidence to allow this show to be open to both workers and the club members. And I would like to thank that employee right now."

Ashley's face became almost as red as Sam's, except she more embarrassed than pissed, and she began to walk toward Nathan.

"Samantha Manson," he announced. "Can you please come up here?"

Ashley quickly stepped back, hoping no one saw her actions. Sam walked onto the stage, standing next to the heir apparent to Clears Waters.

"As you all may remember, Samantha is the one who led that rather amazing rendition of 'The Name of the Game,'" Nathan stated. "It was what reminded us that there was a new crop of workers at Clear Waters that would do this show justice."

The small audience clapped before Nathan silenced them again.

"So, I've talked to my father about this and, he agrees, as of right now, the core focus of you, Sam, and any other employees that get a part in this show, will be the this show. So, I'd like to announce that my father has hired more workers to handle your positions in the interim as well as more people to work here. Clear Waters will return to its spot as the premiere country club in Amity Park and the state. That's enough of my ramblings; let the auditions begin!"

The hopeful entertainers took their seats and prepared their sheet music for Sebastian. On the other side of the stage, Sam grabbed a giddy Nathan by the arm.

"Don't I have to audition?" she asked, turning her attention to the stage just as duck-faced Gail walked on.

"Please, you had a spot in the show since you got the entire poolside to sing with you," Nathan said, chuckling.

"For my first song," Gail said, her nasal voice giving off the sound of knives going into the eardrums.

"And, hopefully, your last." Eric shouted for his seat.

"I will be singing a snippet from 'Wind Beneath my Wings,'" she continued. "And Mr. Ridley, your criticisms will not deter me. My mother says I have the voice of angel."

"Yeah, there's a future stripper," a new voice quipped.

"Wes!" Sam shouted. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Wesley, his face returned to its natural size, said, walking down the pathway. "I wouldn't miss this show; it's the highlight of working here."

Sebastian and Nathan shot Wesley a glare.

"I mean, besides working with these guys," Wesley said facetiously.

"Excuse me," Gail said, getting their attention. "But I was gonna sing."

"Go ahead," Sebastian groaned and began to play.

Gail cleared her throat and began to sing, _"__A beautiful face without a name for so long, a beautiful smile to hide the pain." _

Her voice filled the air with some of the least melodic sounds. They were the kind of that if Mozart heard; he'd rise from his grave just so Salleri could kill him again.

"_Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be?"_

"Please stop," Nathan shouted into his microphone. "You are literally killing me."

"Please get us out of here," Ashley said. "I like what you're doing but we can't have someone like you in the show."

"Be quiet, Paula Abdul," Sebastian quipped. "Eric, get up here."

Eric sprang off of the stool and onto the stage, pushing Gail aside and grabbing the mike.

"What're you singing, Eric?" Ashley asked, fearing the answer.

"A snippet from the reprise of 'I'll Cover You' from _Rent_," he answered, causing everyone at the judge's table to perk up.

Sebastian began to play as Eric began to sing, _"__Open your door - I'll be your tenant, don't got much baggage to lay at your feet. But sweet kisses I've got to spare. I'll be there; I'll cover you."_

His voice changed modulation, his baritone becoming more controlled and deeper.

"_I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love. Now I know you can rent it." _

Eric belted out the final solo lines.

"_A new lease you were, my love, on life!"_

The crowd clapped as the judges.

"You've got the part!" Nathan shouted.

"Now get off the stage," Ashley added playfully.

Eric hopped off of the stage.

"Can Elle Montgomery get up?" Nathan asked.

Elle skipped from the chair and onto the stage.

"What's your song?" Ashley asked.

"A little piece called 'I'm Going to Go Back There Someday' from _The Muppet Movie_," she answered, handing the sheet music to Sebastian, who started to play.

"_This looks familiar, vaguely familiar," _Elle sang, a sad smile on her face,_ "almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet. Close to my soul, and yet so far away. I'm going to go back there someday._

**0000000**

Mr. Lester sat inside of his office, a feeling of worry rising up from his stomach to his throat. He leapt to his feet, the sounds of his feet hitting the ground, covering up the sounds of a group filling the ground. Mr. Lester grabbed the doorknob, but the door didn't open.

Outside of the door, the leader of group, a one Felix Larsen, turned to his friends, Ryan Bridges and August Espinoza.

"Is that going to stay locked?" he asked.

"It should," August said. "Even if the old man gets out, it'll be too late."

Carly Baldwin, Ridley's twin sister, and Felix's girlfriend, Felicia Cash, entered the scene followed by the last members of the group, Cordell Blackburn, Nola Holmes, and Veronica Hart.

"I can't find those fakers," Cordell shouted.

"I think they're in the back, they're trying to restart the show," Felicia stated.

"That show's nothing without us," Ridley declared. "C'mon, let's get 'em. Cordell, August, Felix, we're gonna need your strong arms to break them in half."

"That was so manly," Cordell said, stepping behind his girlfriend, Veronica.

"And yet so gay," Felix finished, stepping behind Carly and Felicia.

"What're you doing?" Felicia asked.

"If he goes crazy, you three are safe," Felix answered. "I'm too pretty for him resist."

"Ego, much?" Nola asked, following the group toward the back of the Clear Waters' main office.

**0000000**

Back on the stage, Elle was finishing her song.

"_You can just visit, but I plan to stay. I'm going to go back there someday. I'm going to go back there someday." _

She ended the song and took a bow.

"All right!" Nathan shouted. "You have got a part!"

Elle squealed and raced off the stage into Eric's arms. The two danced around before something happened. A pie flew through the air and slammed into Eric's face, knocking him off of his feet. Everyone whipped around to see Felix and his gang standing in front of them, Nola wielding a smoking pie cannon.

"And, ladies and gentlemen, is where the hacks go down!" Carly declared.

The group walked down toward the auditionees, causing them to step back. Danny moved in closer to Nathan, Wesley and Sebastian.

"Who're these clowns?" he asked.

"Those are the clowns my dad fired to hire you and your friends." Nathan answered.

"That's not a good thing, is it, right?" Danny asked.

"No, it's not," his boss said.

The former employees moved in closer and closer to their replacements, their weapons at the ready.

**0000000**

**A/N: Another chapter done, remember to read and review.**


	10. On Like Donkey Kong

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or the characters featured in this chapter, save the OCs and that's about all.**

**0000000**

The sextet (teh-heh, I said sex. *Slaps self, you're a big boy now, Silas, stop it*) approached the group of both Clear Waters employees and club members. Nathan placed himself in between the two groups,

"Felix," He said, his voice strong in authority, "I want you and your friends out of here."

"We'd love too, Nate," Felix said, "But, we've got this thing about being run through a garbage disposal like the plot to a Disney Channel original movie."

"Huh?" Nathan inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"What my brilliant boyfriend is trying to say," Felicia cut in, sarcasm dripping off her every word, "We don't appreciate being fired for no good reason."

"'No good reason?'" Nathan repeated, his eyes widening in shock, "You call getting fired unleashing mutant chicken on the members of this club no good reason?"

"Compared to some of things Ridley did, it was pretty mild," Cassie pointed out, getting a death glare from her twin.

"That is true," Nathan conceded. "Mrs. Balmier still hasn't forgiven us for the incident with Mr. Balmier."

"Seriously," Veronica cut in, "How could she not know?"

"The whole breeding labor-doodles should've been the first clue." Cordell pointed.

"Guys?" Nola interjected, "You do realize that he's doing it again?"

"Doing what?" August asked, "If it's not anything important, I kinda wanna get in on this fight."

"There isn't a fight, bozo!" The typically timid Nola shouted, "Because they got away!"

They all turned to see that Nathan and the others had vanished, leaving them looking more ridiculous than ever. The five stepped back as Nola walked over to Felix and ripped the pie-cannon out of his hands.

"Just do what you're good at and make out with Felicia, Ridley and I'll handle them," she commanded, causing the much taller Felix to shrink about a foot, as he dove behind his girlfriend for protection.

"Don't worry, Nola," Felicia said, shrinking a little herself. "We'll all make sure they don't get distracted. Right, guys?"

The rest of the group nodded, each one more terrified at Nola's sudden transformation.

"Okay," Nola said, raising the cannon onto her shoulder, "We'll split up and look for them."

"What makes you think they're gonna split up?" Cordell asked.

"Just a feeling the writer's going to use that as a plot device," she replied. "Now let's move, we can't have them calling the police. I'm in no mood to get arrested."

"Then why'd you come with us?" Felix asked, his head popping up from behind Felicia.

"Because I didn't want to be alone!" she shouted.

"Insecure much?" Ridley muttered, as the six hunters split up to look for their prey.

**0000000**

Danny had split off from the group, as Nola had predicted, hoping to find a safe haven. He found it in the closet Tucker had locked himself in a mere five or six chapters' prior. Unlike Tucker, however, there was no way Danny could get trapped inside the closet.

"I'm going ghost!" he shouted, the now famous white ring surrounding his body, transforming into the famous, or infamous (Depends on who you ask, really), Danny Phantom.

Danny went through the floor, escaping the closet. His head popped out of the floor moments later, although the naked eye of the characters' could not see him. Fortunately for the readers, you can still see Danny when he was invisible and intangible, his head peering out of the floor, looking for the intruders, hoping that the others were okay.

**0000000**

Nathan, Sebastian and Ashley dove into his office, slamming the door behind them.

"Get the desk in front of it!" Nathan ordered, as Ashley and Sebastian began to push.

"Where's the Zoid?" Ashley asked when Nathan joined in the effort.

"It was destroyed," Nathan said, finally able to let that secret out.

"How?" Wesley shouted.

"I'm not sure, but I think someone managed to steal the activity chip in its controller pack," Nathan stated.

"Who the hell would do something stupid like that?" Ashley screamed, suddenly getting a splitting headache that she only got when Audrey did something really stupid.

**0000000**

"I can't believe you stole the activity chip out of the Demolition Zoid!" Tucker screamed, just as he and Audrey rounded the corner and dove into the kitchen.

"I didn't know this was going happen!" Audrey fired back, scrambling for the kitchen sink to grab her invention. "For all I knew that Zoid was there for window dressing."

"Why would anyone use something like that as window dressing?" Tucker counted.

"Could we please not argue about this right now?" Audrey asked, her voice climbing back down the scales of loudness. "We can argue about it later, I have to come up with an attack plan."

Tucker scoffed at the young woman, attempting to crawl away, "I don't wanna be a part of any attack plan that involves you."

Audrey dove at him, grabbing his leg.

"Would you rather take your chances with those clowns?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tucker paused for a moment, looking out toward the door and then back Audrey, who had a mischievous grin on her face.

"This had better be good," he sighed, crawling back toward her.

**0000000**

Eric, much like Danny, had been cut off from the main group, raced through the hall before he came across a wall. And by came across, I mean, he slammed into said wall. Eric sat up, shaking off the blow and making a noise similar to Doc in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves".

"I've gotta watch for these things," He said to no one in particular, before his ears perked up to the sound of approaching footsteps, "Let's see, Converse All-Stars, Gucci, Reeboks, and…" He counted off, sniffing into the air, "Ew, Crocs. That is definitely them."

Eric kipped up and faced the adjoining hallway that he had just run through, catching the shadows on the walls. Eric smiled slyly and jumped into the air, with agility that was somewhat surprising for a normal human or someone with his depth perception problem, hooking the crawl space and squeezing his tiny frame into the space.

His miraculous escape came just as the second sextet rounded the corner, August checking that part of the hall, Ridley standing over him a rather suggestive manner. Eric saw this and quickly closed his mouth before he started to laugh.

"There's nothing here," Ridley said, August turning his head just enough to realize what could be going on back there.

"You're right," he said, slipping out from under Ridley, "if I remember that kid right, he'd have started laughing the minute he saw what you were doing?"

"What was I doing?" Ridley asked, as the duo rejoined their group.

Eric, meanwhile, had his hands over his mouth, trying his best not to laugh or shout something dirty at the two young men.

**0000000**

Sam, Elle, and Wesley managed to force the backdoor of the music room open and get in through there. Sam's eyes darted around the room, looking for something to barricade the door with.

"Where's the piano?" she said, her voice reeking of desperation.

"It's outside," Wesley replied, his best 'duh face' looking back at her. "Remember?"

"Right," Sam said, smacking herself on the head. "Grab the couch," she suggested, racing across the room toward the couch.

Wesley sprang to his feet, but before he could even make a move, Elle simply chased after the Goth girl, both of them grabbing the arms of the couch and hoisting it off the ground.

"C'mon, Wesley, help us," Elle shouted.

"I'm on way," he shot back, his voice dripping with venom.

Wesley grabbed a hold of the bottom of the couch and they carried it away from the wall.

Elle piped up, "Stupid question."

"Stupid answer," Wesley quipped.

"If we don't have the piano, we just have the couch, right?" Elle inquired.

Wesley and Sam stopped walking, looking at each, a look of confusion on their faces.

"You know, Elle," Wesley started, "I was only kidding when I said I was going answer your stupid question with a stupid answer, but I've got nothing. Sam, you got anything?"

"Not really," Sam said. "And I can typically shoot down questions like that."

"I didn't finish," Elle said, breaking up the new conversation. "I mean, if we just have the couch and we don't have the piano, what're we gonna use to block the other door?"

Sam and Wesley looked at each other again then at Elle and then at the doors.

"Crap!" they shouted together.

**0000000**

Danny slipped in and out of the floors, making sure he watched for the invaders as he did. The halfa landed on the ground, taking on material form. Danny looked around when he saw a shadow appearing on the wall (thank God for the building being so well-lit and covered in hallways).

Danny disappeared and leaned against the wall, putting out his leg. Cordell walked by, spinning around to make sure no one was behind him, ready to spring a trap. Danny silently hummed a few bars of a rather catchy cartoon theme as Cordell walked right into his leg. Cordell hit the floor, his face smacking off the ground, temporarily stunning him. Danny used that time to stick his head through the floor and survey the basement for something that was both safe and could incapacitate someone. He found it in a crappy air mattress that was conveniently placed right under Cordell.

Danny placed one hand on the floor and the other Cordell's back, causing the token black guy of the group to phase through the floor and crash on top of the mattress, which didn't really break his fall as much as it prevented serious injury, save for the concussion he was gonna have when this was all said and done.

"All right, he's taken care of," Danny said to himself. "Now to check on the others."

**0000000**

Tucker placed the one final dish onto a massive pile on either side of the automated hand-dishwasher.

"Is everything set up?" Audrey shouted from a distance, having taken a position in the next room.

"Yeah," Tucker answered. "But I still don't understand why I have to be the distraction."

Audrey rolled her eyes, "Simple, because you are the techno-geek, everyone would suspect you of building something like this and stashing the remote in your PDA."

"That still doesn't explain why I have to be the bait!" Tucker shouted, his face carrying a look of pure and utter distress.

"Because I'm the only one who knows how to use this thing as a weapon," Audrey said.

"It's a weapon?" Tucker echoed, "And you let me use it?"

"Well, I didn't plan on using it as a weapon," she admitted. "But, anything can be used as a weapon if used properly."

"And you know how to use this properly?"

"Here's hoping."

She rolled out of the way, watching the door for the invaders, ready to strike.

**0000000**

Eric rolled out of the crawl space, falling to the ground. However, the falling boy crashed into something that cushioned his landing. He shook off the fall and looked down to see what he had landed on, his eyes catching the sight of tight, khaki pants.

"Do you, um, mind getting off of me?" the voice of Ridley Baldwin asked.

"Holy crap! That ass just talked to me!" Eric said, leaping off of his 'cushion' and landing on something slightly harder (And no, it's not what you think).

"Now, please get off of my head," the voice stated again.

Eric slipped off of Ridley's head and settled on the taller boy's back.

"Just get off of me!" Ridley screamed, finally tossing Eric off of his back and onto the ground.

Eric rolled over to see Ridley brandishing a steel pipe.

'This is a little more hostile than I expected,' Eric thought, before opening his mouth. "Is this end of Eric Ridley? Or will he survive this terrifying encounter? Find out in our next episode…"

"Wait a minute?" Ridley asked. "Do you say your name is Eric Ridley?"

"Yeah!" Eric answered, closing his eyes.

"My name's Ridley Baldwin," Ridley stated.

One of his eyes reopened, "Really?" Eric asked.

"Yeah," Ridley answered, grinning happily.

Eric stood up and grinned as well, "I always say that anyone with the name, be it first or last, 'Ridley' should stick together."

"You do?" Ridley asked, his grip on the pipe loosening, tears appearing on his face. "So this is what it sounds like when doves cry?"

Eric didn't even bother to answer Ridley's question but, instead, punched his fellow theatre nerd in the face, knocking him out.

"Whew!" Eric said. "Thank God this one was an idiot."

He looked around for Ridley's compatriots before he removed Ridley's belt and began to hogtie the unconscious young man.

**0000000**

Carly and August had rounded a corner, the way leading into the kitchen to be more precise. The Ice Queen and August kicked the door open, seeing Tucker standing in front of them.

"Okay, not exactly what I expected," August said, catching sight of the plates on the ground. "And you have got to be the worst dishwasher I have ever seen."

"Not yet," Tucker said, turning to Audrey's hiding place. "NOW!" he shouted, ducking to the ground.

Audrey hit the button on her remote and the hand grabbed the dishes, hurtling them at duo. August and Carly raced out of the room, covering up and attempting to dodge the dishes.

Danny, meanwhile, floated out from under the floor leading toward the kitchen when he saw Carly and August darting from his destination and into his line of fire. Danny faded through the floor and grabbed the mattress Cordell landed on minutes before and dragged it over to the section of the basement below that hallway. Cordell's head bounced off of the floor as Danny did this.

Securing the mattress underneath the floor, Danny flew back up through the floor, making it intangible. August and Carly toppled through the floor, crashing on top of a reawakened Cordell, who was knocked out again from the two crashing on top of him.

'That's two more down,' Danny mused, a grin forming on his face. 'Now, all I've gotta do is put down the other five.'

**0000000**

"**And it turns out, I can't count," Soulless Warlock exclaimed. "For those of you still reading, I apologize for not counting the people in the invaders group correctly. There are eight members. They are an octet."**

**0000000**

Sam and Elle pushed against the front door while Wesley placed the couch in front of the damaged backdoor.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Elle asked.

"They could come in through the back," Sam said before turning her attention back to Wesley. "How long did they work here?"

"For almost two summers," he answered. "They would definitely know about this door."

Wesley had pressed himself against the couch, watching the door that the two girls were using their combined weight to keep closed.

"Why don't you two come over here and hold the couch?" he suggested. "I'm heavier than both of you, I can probably hold that door closed."

Sam looked back at Elle, who was a lot smaller than she was, and realized Wesley was right.

"All right," she said, "Elle, Wes, we move on three. One…"

"Wait," Elle interjected. "Do we go on 'three' or 'one, two, three' then go?"

"We go on three," Wesley shouted. "You've seen the movie they always go on three."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Okay, one…two…"

**0000000**

In yet another plot related twist, the front door flung open and leveled Elle and Sam, who crashed into Wesley. Felix and Felicia entered the room, the former looking as though he had just been forced to watch Claire Danes' acting in _Les Misérables _and was prepared to rip anyone in his path apart while the latter wielding a bat.

Sam rolled out of the way of Felicia swinging the bat at her. Wesley flung himself backwards and rolled out of the way as well. Elle, herself, rolled out of the way just as the bat hit where they had all been moments before. The trio sprang to their feet, but they were soon cut off by Felix, who knocked Wesley to the ground before throwing Elle across the room. Fortunately for her, she landed on the couch, but the couch tipped and fell on top of her. Sam dodged the bat-wielding Felicia, swinging the bat into the wall.

As the trio tried to outmaneuver their attackers, Danny floated into the room, remaining invisible to everyone. His eyes seethed with rage when he saw Felicia swinging a bat at his girlfriend. He flew at Felicia and grabbed the bat, yanking it out of the shorter girl's hands and snapping it over his knee.

"What the hell was that?" Felicia shouted, as Danny became visible.

Danny grinned wickedly, "That would be me."

"Oh crap!" Felicia said, "Felix!"

His girlfriend's scream got Felix's attention, darting around to see Danny Phantom standing in front of him. He barreled down at the young hero, Danny went intangible and went clean through the attacking Felix. Danny went solid in front of Wesley, wiping his hand at Wesley's belt. He wrenched the belt off of his nemesis' pants and used it to slap Felix in the face, knocking him for a loop. Danny swung the belt back and hit Wesley in the face.

'And one to grow on for you!' he thought bitterly, before tackling Felix into Felicia and pushing them into the hallway.

Danny landed on the floor, making it intangible underneath them, sending Felix and Felicia tumbling into the basement. They crashed onto Cassie, August and Cordell, who was waking up once more only to be knocked out again.

"Danny?" Sam whispered, finally accepting that Danny was responsible for all of Wesley's 'accidents'.

**0000000**

Eric had shoved Ridley back in the closet (and not that way) and locked the door to make sure that he could take care of the rest of the invaders without his interference. Eric ducked into one of the shadowy areas of the halls, just as Veronica rounded a corner, looking around for her compatriots.

"Felix? Felicia?" she called out. "Cordell? August? Cass? Anyone?"

'Where is my chloroform when I need it?' Eric thought, scampering up the wall.

Veronica turned around to check the shadows. Not checking those was the mistake everyone made in horror movies and, with all of her friends vanishing from communication, she was leaving nothing to chance. Veronica turned away from the shadows, making another key mistake, not looking up, and ran into Danny Phantom. She collided with the heroic halfa.

"Oh Cracker Barrel!" she said, fainting in front of him.

"Wow," Danny chimed, his eyes blinking twice, "that was a little too easy."

Danny grabbed the unconscious Veronica and sent her through the floor. Fortunately for her, however, everyone trapped on the air mattress broke her fall. Unfortunately for everyone on the air mattress, especially Cordell, she landed on top of them. Danny floated through the floor and grabbed the mattress not seeing Eric sliding down the wall, leaving his hiding place.

Eric's nose was high in the air, sniffing right where Danny just been standing.

"Something smells really familiar," Eric said, looking around for Nola, hoping he help could end this invasion.

**0000000**

Nola returned to the stage area where the invasion had begun a half-hour earlier, her pie-shooting cannon at the ready. Danny had come out through the floor, spotting the de facto ring leader of the invading group. He ducked behind the wall attached to the doorway where he spotted Eric crawling along the side of the opposite wall.

"What're you doing here?" Danny growled.

"Helping you," Eric shot back.

"I took take of most of them," Danny informed. "But, I can't see that blond with the ugly hat."

"I took care of him," Eric said,."He's back in the closet. Where're the other clowns?"

"Trapped in the basement," Danny answered.

"The sequel to _Trapped in the Closet_, right?" Eric quipped. "So, what's the plan for her?"

"I don't know yet," Danny said, sticking his head out from behind the wall.

Danny quickly pulled his head back as a pie nearly slammed into his head at 97 miles an hour.

"Okay, she still has the pie-cannon," Danny said.

Eric rolled over to Danny's cover, dodging another pie as he did, "Question, how fast are you?"

Danny looked at Eric, smiling when he picked up on the boy's possible plan, "I can definitely get that thing out of her hands before she hits you, if that's what you're asking."

"That's exactly what I was asking," Eric asserted, smiling wickedly.

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?" Danny stated.

"Well, there was that one time me and my family was trapped inside of a building full of zombies and we had to improvise for weapons," Eric admitted.

"You use to live California?" Danny questioned.

Eric paused for a moment and thought about it, "Actually, yes," Eric's expression changed from nostalgic to battle-ready. "So, I'm gonna provide the distraction while the grab that cannon."

"All right, on three," Danny declared, crouching low. "One…"

"Wait," Eric interjected. "We go on 'three' or 'one, two, three' then go?"

"Why do I have the feeling this isn't the first time that questions been asked today?" Danny growled, "We go on 'three', okay?"

"Gotcha."

"One…two…three!" Danny said, phasing through the floor while Eric sprang to his feet.

"Pocahontas!" he bellowed, racing into the line of fire.

Nola was on her feet, cannon at the ready, when she heard that scream. She pulled the trigger three times, launching three pies at Eric, who successfully dodged two of them before the third struck him in the face. But this was all the time Danny needed to float out from under the ground and grab the cannon. He turned visible as he yanked the cannon out of her hand and tossed her off of the stage.

Nola hit the ground, but was able to roll back onto her feet from the force of Danny's shove. She raced for the inside of the club, stepping on the fallen Eric's hand as she did.

"We can't let her get away," Eric shouted, throwing his index finger up dramatically. "Ekans, underground!"

Danny stopped mid-move when he realized what Eric had just said, "What?"

Eric blinked, pushing the pie out of his eyes as only a cartoon character can do, "I'm not a member of Team Rocket. I meant to say, go after her!"

Danny simply nodded apprehensively at Eric's prior suggestion before he went through the ground again.

Nola raced through the hallways, not noticing that the door to Nathan and Ashley's office was opening in front of her. She slammed into the door and fell back onto the ground, the force of her hitting the door and then the ground knocking her out. Danny popped up through the floor and quickly turned invisible when Ashley, Sebastian, and Nathan walked out of the room. Sebastian's foot accidentally hit her in the stomach and the trio realized what may have just happened

"Well, Nola's out cold," Nathan said.

"No shit, Captain Obvious!" Sebastian proclaimed.

Nathan's eyes carefully examined the surrounding area before he heard

Ashley shout, "Oh my God! Eric!"

"Ashley, wait!" he ordered. "It could be a trap."

Sebastian and Nathan chased after the girl, who was already outside. She slid across the grass, stopping when she was right next to Eric, who was licking the pie on his face as much as his tongue would allow him to reach.

"Yum, strawberry," he declared.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked, all the while Eric was wiping his fingers on his face and eating the pie off of his face.

"I'm fine," he replied. "All those clowns are gone and I got pie."

Ashley slapped herself on the forehead. Of course he was all right, he never stayed hurt for long.

"Where're the rest of her little gang?" Nathan asked, helping Ashley pull Eric to his feet.

"Well, Ridley's in the closet."

"Yeah, but where is he really?" Sebastian asked.

Eric rolled his eyes, "Inside the closet, literally. And the rest of 'em are trapped in the basement."

"Okay, how did you pull that off?" Ashley asked.

"I didn't," Eric replied. "Danny Phantom did that."

"He's here?" Sebastian questioned.

"Well, he was," Eric said. "And he smelled really familiar."

Ashley punched Eric in the back of the head, "He doesn't know what he's saying. We told him to stop sniffing people, even if they're ghosts."

**0000000**

Danny, in human form, reappeared in the hallway that led into the kitchen, where he found Tucker and Audrey cleaning up the destroyed dishes before Nathan or Mr. Lester saw what they had done to get rid of Carly and August.

"Danny?" Audrey shouted. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was trapped in the closet," Danny lied.

"I never took you for a water sports aficionado," Audrey quipped, a devious sneer appearing on her lips.

"Ha, ha!" Danny drawled. "I wanna know one though: Who in the hell has a closet that locks from the inside?"

"I asked the same question when I got stuck in there a couple weeks ago," Tucker exclaimed.

After finally locating everyone, the remaining folks auditioning for the revue hit the stage. We shall now join them at the tail end of Wesley's performance: _"And Swanson and Keaton and Dressler and William S. Hart, no one pretended that what we were doing was art."_

His voice sounded a lot stronger than it had been during _The Producers _as he sang out the opening number to _Mack and Mabel_.

_"We had some guts and some luck, but we were just making a buck. Movies were movies were movies when I ran the show!"_

The judges applauded his performance, all three seemed very impressed.

"That was awesome!" Nathan shouted. "You've got a part."

"I agree," Ashley said, smiling at Wesley.

"Of course you do," Nathan shot back. "You're the Paula Abdul parody."

"Shut up!" Ashley sounded off. "What'd you have to say about it, Sebastian?"

"It can use a little work, but I definitely want him in the show," the music coordinator answered from behind his piano.

"Then it's unanimous," Nathan said. "You've got a part!"

"Yes!" Wesley celebrated, pumping his hands into the air.

He hopped off of the stage and plopped back into his seat. Nathan looked down at the audition sheet.

"Danny?" Nathan shouted. "We need you up here, bro!"

Danny didn't appear on stage, but his voice could be heard from halfway across the yard. He and Sam were in the middle of an argument from the looks of things.

"And you don't trust me!" Sam screamed.

"Yes, I trusted you. I've always trusted you!" Danny hollered back.

"You obviously don't if you had to follow me everywhere I went," she shouted, pushing past him. "And what gives you the right to do what you've done. I can be friends with whoever I want! You have no control of over that, Danny!"

Danny's face turned volcano red as he tried to form a coherent defense, "Well, if you weren't hanging all over the guy, maybe I wouldn't have been so paranoid!" he finally screamed.

"I wasn't hanging all over him, I was holding his hand to comfort him."

"You hold my hand to comfort me!"

"That is totally different."

"Hey, Pamela, Tommy Lee, break it up!" Eric shouted.

"That sounds like a good idea," Sam said, storming off.

"Sam!" Danny bellowed. "You get back here!"

"Miss Sofia, you come to Harpo right, ya' hear?" Eric interjected.

"Eric, shut up!" Danny shouted, finally walking toward the stage, catching the sight of Eric trying to sniff him.

He didn't have a chance to ask what Eric was doing because Audrey had kicked out the leg of Eric's chair and sent him crashing to the ground. Eric's head slammed off of the chair in front of him and he, once again, did an unwilling split.

"Whatever," Danny muttered, climbing onto the stage before taking a deep breath. "I'm going to be singing 'Love Changes Everything' from _Aspects of Love._"

Sebastian began to play the opening of the song. Danny took another breath and began to sing, _"Love, love changes everything: Hands and faces, Earth and sky. Love, love changes everything: How you live and how you die!"_

Danny's voice had seemingly grown leaps and bounds since his performance as Leo in _The Producers._

_"Love can make the summer fly, or a night seem like a lifetime."_

Danny walked across the stage, his voice growing stronger with each passing note, _"Yes, love, love changes everything: Now I tremble at your name. Nothing in the world will ever be the same."_

Sebastian was joined by The Band and the music began to float under Danny's voice.

_"Love, love changes everything: Days are longer, words mean more. Love, love changes everything: Pain is deeper than before. Love will turn your world around, and that world will last forever. Yes, love, love changes everything, brings you glory, brings you shame."_

Danny smiled smugly at the last line.

_"Nothing in the world will ever be the same."_

The stringed instruments of The Band picked up pace for their solo before Danny sang out, _"Off into the world we go, planning futures, shaping years. Love bursts in, and suddenly all our wisdom disappears."_

Danny seemed to be singing from experience, but didn't let that deter him from finishing the song.

_"Love makes fools of everyone: all the rules we make are broken. Yes, love, love changes everyone, live or perish in its flame. Love will never, never let you be the same. Love will never, never let you be the same!"_

As Michael Ball had done years before, Danny belted out the final note, and got applauded much like Mister Ball had all those years before.

"That was awesome!" Sebastian shouted, interrupting Nathan.

"Agreed," Ashley proclaimed.

"You have so got a part," Nathan declared.

Danny simply nodded and walked off the stage, making his way back to the inside of the club.

**0000000**

Inside the club, Mr. Lester sat alone, everyone seemingly forgetting he was still locked inside his office and there was something barricading him in. The older man pulled off his socks in the interim and began to have them converse.

"I wander where those bloody children are?" the left one asked, in a high-pitched, and incredibly fake, British accents.

"Probably running around like chickens with their heads cut off," the right one answered in a deeper, but equally faker, accent.

"Mr. Lester?" Sam asked from outside, pushing the object aside and opening the door (He had unlocked it earlier, only to the object in his way).

"It's about time, you bitch!" the right sock shouted.

The left one chided back, "Don't use that language against children!"

**0000000**

**A/N: All right, I'm finally done with this chapter. I hope you all like it. And, once more, I must ask something of my readers: I'm at a loss for what song Danny and Sam should sing at the end of the revue. If you have any ideas for the songs I would greatly appreciate them. The only rule is that it has to be a musical number and it has to be an upbeat duet. The only song that cannot be used is "Everyday", I'm saving that for Eric and his partner. Thanks once again and until next time, Good night, good luck, good afternoon and good morning.**


	11. Now Features More Time Travel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any songs featured in this story. I don't know how times I've said that about any fandom, but I know it's a lot. Whatever, I own my own characters and that is it.**

**0000000000**

**A/N: I would also like to point out that this story happens after "Phantom Planet". The only difference is that Danny and Sam did not get together in the end.**

**0000000000**

The day began quite innocently at the Prometheus hotel, Eric sliding down the railing of the staircase into the main lobby, and forgetting to set a safety pad on the ground below. He flew through the air and into the massive beam in the middle of the lobby. The sight was witnessed by Martin Saxon, Ashley and Audrey's father, who grimaced in pain at the sight of his godson landing onto the ground.

"I'm okay," Eric shouted. "My face broke my fall."

Martin hopped over the lobby desk and darted over to Eric

"Sure you're all, Slappy?" Martin asked, helping the boy to his feet.

"I'll be fine," assured the woozy Eric. "Have you seen Ash anywhere?"

"Not since this morning." Martin answered. "I think that she decided to head off to Clear Waters."

"Are you kidding?" Eric asked. "We don't have to be there until tomorrow."

"Well, she left this morning with her mom and Audrey," informed Martin. "She was really happy about something. I'm not sure why though."

Martin, however, did not give Eric enough time to think as the older man dropped the tiny teen. Martin leapt back onto the steps, pumping his arms into the air.

"I forgot, it's my birthday next week!" he declared. "They're planning a surprise party for me."

Martin began dancing on the desk, throwing himself down at the edge of the desk, which was conveniently located next to the door leading into the basement. The door swung open and cracked Martin in the head, knocking him off of the desk and onto the floor. Elliot poked his head through the door to find his son and his best friend lying on the ground.

"I really hope they didn't hit their heads," he mused. "They can't afford anymore brain damage."

**0000000000**

Across town, at the Fenton family home, Danny was clutching the phone in his hands. His fingers were very indecisive as to what he was planning, turning the phone on and off at regular intervals. Maddie poked her head out from the kitchen, watching with great curiosity as her youngest child continued this process for five more minutes.

"Danny," she said, catching Danny by surprise, "is there anything wrong?"

"No, there's nothing wrong, Mom," Danny said, placing the phone back on the receiver.

"What if I said I didn't believe you?" Maddie asked, walking out of the kitchen and taking a seat on the couch.

Danny smiled weakly at his mother but did not say a word.

"Why don't you call Sam?" Maddie suggested. "She's always been able to cheer you up before."

Danny growled at the mention of Sam's name and, tossing his right leg over his left, turned away from his mother.

"Ah, I see," Maddie said, smiling wryly. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Danny grunted in frustration.

"Well, the door to the lab is always open," she said. "You know that, right?"

"Mom, I don't think you can help with this," Danny said, still looking away.

"You don't know that, Danny," she countered. "Remember I was once your age. I've been through the pain that is young love."

"I know, I know," Danny said, finally turning back to Maddie. "But, I don't think you know all of the problems."

Maddie's eyes widened in disappointment."You haven't been using your powers to spy on Sam changing?"

Danny started to choke on air. "NO!" he finally shouted defensively when he got air back.

"I was just checking," she said, raising her hands as a gesture to calm her son.

"It's not that," Danny said, his voice leveling out. "Do you remember Wesley Wells?"

"That boy who tried to kiss Sam?" Maddie asked.

"Same guy," Danny answered. "He's working at Clear Waters."

Maddie titled her head quizzically. "That's a bizarre coincidence."

Danny's eyes lit up. "You're the third person that's thought that." Danny continued, "Anyways, I think he's been trying to win Sam over."

Maddie cut her son off, "Danny, Sam really cares about you."

"I know that, Mom," Danny said. "But, she's getting to close to him. She says they're just friends but she said the same thing about me and…"

Maddie cut him off again. "Do you think Sam is cheating on you?"

"No," Danny answered. "But, I don't want him to go near her."

"You don't own Sam," Maddie said.

"This isn't about ownership, Mom," Danny shouted. "This is about me worrying about my girlfriend."

"You think he'll hurt her?"

Danny's grimace became more pronounced before he finally croaked out, "No! No I don't think that." He looked away from his mother. "But, I certainly hurt him."

Maddie's expression changed from one of curious disappointment."What did you do?"

"Crap!" Danny crowed

**0000000000**

"Are you sure you don't want to call him?" Tucker asked Sam, who was in the midst of whopping his ass in _SmackDown vs. Raw 2007_.

"Who?" Sam said, not looking away from the screen, hitting Tucker's PCC, Paul London, with multiple Batista bombs.

"You know who."

"Lord Voldemort?" Sam inquired, looking away from screen.

Tucker frowned at Sam, who finally put the game on pause.

"Let him call me," Sam said. "He started this."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Wow, that is so mature."

"Tucker, please do not start with me today," she growled. "Danny crossed a line and I am waiting for him to show maturity by apologizing to me."

"What about apologizing to Wesley?" Tucker asked. "I mean, Danny hurt him more than he hurt you."

"Danny hurt me plenty."

"How?" Tucker asked.

"Tucker, you know how," Sam answered. "He didn't trust me. I have done nothing wrong except try to be friends with Wesley and he thinks I'm gonna jump his bones the minute his back's turned."

"He never said he thought that," Tucker retorted, defending his best friend. "Danny thought Wesley was stalking you and he wanted to make sure he didn't go near you."

"I can take care of myself," Sam fired back.

"I told him that," Tucker shrieked. "He didn't listen to me. I tried warning him what he was doing was a bad idea, but he didn't listen to me."

Sam turned her attention back to the game, knowing Tucker wasn't to blame for this whole situation.

"Do you wanna know what really pisses me off?" Sam shouted, causing Tucker to jump out of his seat. "He has no problem with me hanging out with you and yet I can't have any other guy friends."

"Sam," Tucker started, sitting back into his seat, "Danny may be way more unique than the other guys, but he's still a guy." **(Soulless Warlock: I couldn't resist, guys.) **

Sam rolled her eyes and groaned. "What does that even mean? What is it with this secret 'guy code' men seem to have? And you have the grapes to call women complicated."

"Okay, I did not mean to turn this into a battle of the sexes, but okay," Tucker said. "Danny trusts me with you because he knows I don't have a thing for you and you don't have a thing for me."

"I don't have a thing for Wes…" Sam interjected.

Tucker quickly cut her off. "I never said you did. I'm saying that Danny thinks that if a guy has a thing for a girl or vice versa and the person with the 'thing' works hard enough, they can wear down the person they have the 'thing' for. That, in turn, makes the 'thinger' the 'thingee's' boyfriend and/or girlfriend."

"Thank you very much, Captain Jack," Sam quipped.

"Need a translation?" Tucker asked.

"Kinda."

"Alright," Tucker conceded. "Before you and Danny were dating, the two of you danced around the issue, both claimed not to have a 'thing' for each other."

"Do not use the word 'thing' anymore," Sam said.

"Okay, you two denied it from the Earth to the moon that you were retarded for each other, yet the more everyone pushed, the more you realized that you guys liked each other that way."

Sam didn't say a word.

"Now, if a quick-witted, charming guy like Wesley comes along and is able to befriend you, someone who is also quick-witted and charming, a guy like Danny, who is, let's face it, not the most confident guy in the world, will start to think that he's just a placeholder."

"And you couldn't have just said that?" Sam crowed.

**0000000000**

Meanwhile, at Clear Waters, Nathan was finishing up the orientation for the new employees. There were two boys: Bert Morton, and Seth Garfield Duran, and three girls: Mattie Lowe, Jodi Jacobson, and Kari Boyer, and all of them were from Casper High's chief rival, Dresden High.

**0000000000**

**Soulless Warlock sat alone in his chair, typing away. He looked up at the audience who was staring at him as he worked.**

"**To be totally honest," He said, "I'm not sure if I'm really gonna use these characters after this chapter but I wanted to get the intros out of the way, just in case."**

**0000000000**

He grinned as he finished giving a less than willing Bert and Seth dish detail. He exited out of the room, not realizing that Audrey was slipping into the kitchen.

"Hey!" she shouted, causing Seth to lose his footing and fall to the ground.

All the while, he accidentally head butted Bert in the groin. Bert fell to the floor with his friend, grabbing his nether regions in pain.

"Sorry," Audrey said, trying not to laugh.

Nathan didn't seem to hear any of the crashing sounds in the kitchen. And if he did, he didn't care, there was a sight down the hall that was more appealing to him than fixing broken dishes. He caught the image of himself in the kitchen door oval window out of the corner of his eye. As Ashley started to get closer to him, he quickly checked his teeth and fixed his hair.

"Hey, you," he said lamely, smiling at the pretty young woman standing in front of him. "What're you doing here?"

"You said that you wanted to meet up on an off day and work out the order of the acts on the show," Ashley said.

"Right," nodded Nathan. "That shouldn't take too long."

Ashley's enthusiastic expression changed to disappointment the moment Nathan stopped speaking.

"Trying to get rid of me?" she asked.

"No," Nathan said, almost chocking on the extra air he had sucked in. "I just thought, and feel free to say no, that when we're done working on the show order, we could do something."

Ashley blushed, trying her best to suppress a smile. "I'd like to do something after. What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I thought maybe, we could see a movie?" Nathan suggested, his tone betraying his nervousness.

"I'd love to," Ashley said. "So, what'd you wanna see?"

"You can pick and I'll pay," he said, his voice cracking.

"That sounds like a plan," she said, turning and walking toward their office.

Nathan watched her leave, his posture still rigid as an arrow until she disappeared. He finally let out a long, almost overly exaggerated breath, and his posture morphed into an almost simian stance. Nathan pumped his arms in the air, dancing around in celebration.

"She said 'yes'," he cheered, practically moonwalking. "She said 'yes'."

Nathan's moonwalk was interrupted when he turned to Audrey standing in front of him.

"Ahh!" he shouted, falling to the ground.

**0000000000**

**"****Okay, ladies and gents," Soulless Warlock said, holding a Time Turner. "While all that was going on; Audrey was giving Bert and Seth the 411 on her little invention." **

**Soulless Warlock finished up his twists of the Time Turner, looking out at the readers. **

**"****So, I'm gonna throw us back in time so you can get the dish on what she said to them." **

**He released his grip on the Time Turner and the whole cast, crew, and readers were transported back to just a few minutes ago.**

**0000000000**

The scenery returned to the kitchen just a couple of seconds after Audrey scared the hell out of Bert and Seth.

"Sorry," Audrey said, trying not to laugh.

"What the hell is your problem, lady?" Seth shouted, pulling himself to his feet.

"Well, I just tryin' to warn you guys about dish duty, but it looks like you've got it all figured out," she said, retrieving her invention.

"Hey," she heard Bert call out, "what's that?"

Audrey's ears perked up in delight, as she turned, a wicked smile on her face.

"Glad you decided to ask," she said, whipping around to face the duo.

Bert pulled himself to his feet, clutching his groin, joining Seth as Audrey bounded back to them. She placed the dishwashing hand onto the counter, smiling proudly.

"Okay," Seth said. "It's a hand."

"Yeah," Bert added, his voice cracking. "A hand that looks like a robot."

"That's exactly what it is," Sse said, her voice turning into the voice of a confident saleswoman. "But, it's more than just that."

She reached into her pocket and withdrew the remote control. She pressed the button and the hand sprung to life, cleaning each and every dish in the vicinity. Bert and Seth looked at the hand and then at Audrey before Bert asked,

"Does it also make Julienne fries?"

Audrey reacted by kneeing him in the groin. Seth hopped back, hoping her knee would not check his "little Seth".

"The hell'd you do that for?" Seth shouted.

"That joke is so old," she answered. "I liked to hear a new joke about something that can do anything." Audrey took a deep breath and looked around, "So, do you wanna use it?" she asked.

"What?" responded Seth.

"Do you want to use it?" she repeated, this time with a more aggressive tone and a voice that mirrored Carlos Mencia's impression of someone with Down Syndrome.

"You're giving it to us?" Seth questioned, not sure what to do.

"No," Audrey said,."I'm letting you burrow it. I let Tucker and Danny use it and I didn't think that it would be fair if I left you guys in the lurch in that department. So, do you want to use it or not?"

Audrey held the hand out to Seth, who took it cautiously.

"Now, just do what I did to make it work and you should have no problems," she said, placing the remote onto the counter.

"Thanks?" Seth said, unsure if he was asking a question or not.

"You're welcome," Audrey replied. "But, just a warning. Use that wisely or it will come back to bite you on the ass."

She exited the kitchen and saw Nathan do his little celebratory dance in the middle of the hall. The owner's son turned and saw Audrey standing in front of him.

"Ahh!" he shouted, falling to the ground.

**0000000000**

Sam's cell phone rang and she simply sat there, staring at the phone.

"You know, it's not gonna answer itself," Tucker quipped.

"I'm letting him hang," Sam said. "If he really wants to talk, he'll wait."

"You said the minute he call…"

Sam cut Tucker off, "I changed my mind. I'm allowed to do that, you know?"

"Why do I get involved in relationships?" Tucker asked himself, picking up his PDA and turning on _Destroy All Humans. _

Sam and Tucker didn't say a word to each other for the next five minutes as her cell rang four more times. After the fifth time, she grabbed the phone and opened it.

"Hello?" she said, quickly, "Hey, Danny."

Tucker looked up from his PDA, forgetting that he was using a cow as a weapon against a tank and losing the round again.

"Yeah, I really wanted to talk about yesterday," she said.

The other line buzzed but Tucker couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.

"Okay," Sam said. "I'll meet you there."

She hung up her phone and stood up, dusting off her skirt.

"I'll see you later, Tuck," Sam said, heading for the door.

"What'd he say?" Tucker asked, following after her.

"He said he wanted to talk and to meet him near Clear Waters," answered Sam, opening the door and exiting out of the room.

"Want me to come with you?" Tucker asked.

"This is something Danny and I have to work out on our own," she said. "But, I'm sure one of us will tell you how it went."

"Right," Tucker said, watching Sam walk away.

He propped his head against the beam on his porch and sighed.

"I hope they don't kill each other," he said grimly, turning around and walking back into his house.

**0000000000**

Eric turned the corner of the hallway, surprised that after the incident with his former employees, Mr. Lester hadn't bothered to install better security. He walked by the kitchen, stopping when he heard the sounds of crashing and screaming.

"Wow, Tucker really hates doing that job," he said to himself, walking away.

**0000000000**

**Soulless Warlock pulled the page up as if it were a curtain. "Bet you're wondering what's going on in there?" **

**The only answer he got was the sound of chirping crickets. **

**"****Anyways," Soulless Warlock said. "You'll find out later in the chapter."**

**"****Hey, where's the love?" a new voice shouted.**

**Soulless Warlock looked at the entrance of the neutral space to see Silent Scope, his former alter ego, walking into the room **

**"****How do you people keep getting in here?" he shouted.**

**"****What'd you mean, "you people"?" Silent Scope cried indignantly. **

**"****What'd *you* mean, "you people"?" Tucker shouted, entering the room as well. **

**Soulless Warlock groaned in pan. "Oh Christ, we've walked into a **_**Tropic Thunder**_** reference."**

**0000000000**

Eric continued walking down the hall, when he realized that Tucker, Silent Scope and Soulless Warlock were done with their scene, and came to a stop at Nathan and Ashley's office. He knocked on the door, a giant grin on his face.

"Hey, Ashley!" he shouted, his voice taking on the supposed sound of Dexter Franklin in _Meet Corliss Archer_ would make, when the door opened.

Ashley answered the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What're you doing here?" he repeated.

"I'm working on the show with Nathan."

"I'm working on the show with Nathan."

"Eric!" they shouted together. "Will you stop that?" They said again. "Ahh." They said, realizing what the other was doing, "Ruth Betaginzberger."

There was a long pause between the two before Ashley finally broke the pause and asked, "Seriously, what're you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you something," Eric said.

"No, Eric, I don't know why Garfield can talk while Odie speakth not," Ashley said, cutting him off at the pass of what she was sure was going to be his question.

"That's not my question," he responded, grinding his teeth together. "I wanted to know if you wanted to sing with me at the revue."

Ashley bit her lip. 'Well, Saxon, you better do it now," she thought to herself. "I'm sorry, Eric, but I can't."

"What?" Eric asked, his voice cracking.

"I said I can't," she repeated.

"But, why?" Eric asked, his expressive eyes morphing into the famous puppy dog plea.

"I just don't want to."

"That's not a reason," he said. "Why don't you want to sing with me? We sing in every talent show we've ever been in. Why don't you wanna do it now?"

"Please drop it, Eric," Ashley said, trying to close the door.

"No," Eric replied more forcefully, holding the door open with strength that seemed impossible for a teenager his size. "Tell me, why you don't want to sing with me?"

Ashley began to shake, her face turned beat red before she started to scream, "Because I am sick and tired of singing with you! I'm tired of not having a life of my own! I'm tired of you in general!"

And with that, Ashley slammed the door on her best friend and returned to her planning of the talent show.

**0000000000**

Sam raced across the bushes of Clear Waters, eventually spotting Danny by the tree where they had had their picnic earlier in the summer.

"Hey, Danny," she shouted, climbing the hill toward the tree.

"Hey, Sam," Danny said, lacking any sort of enthusiasm for what he was about to do.

"You wanted to talk to me," she said.

"Yeah, I did," he said. "Sam, we're over."

"What?" she asked.

"Done. I don't wanna date you anymore," Danny said. "If you want Wesley, you can have him. I'd see you happy with somebody you want than with a guy you just settled for."

"Okay, did Skulker hit you over the head or something because you're starting to sound like the Box Ghost?" Sam asked. "Danny, if wasn't interested in you, do you think I'd be with you?"

"You'd be with me out of pity," Danny answered. "You'd be with me so I wouldn't make myself look like an idiot when I kissed you at the end of the play. You'd be with because you're a good person."

"You are talking like an idiot, Danny," She countered. "I've wanted to be with you since we were in sixth grade. Why would I throw this away on Wesley, who I've only known for seven months."

"Some of the best relationships happen in seven months," Danny argued. "My parents fell in love in seven months."

"Everyone is different," Sam said. "You are not your parents and I am sure hell not mine."

Danny looked away from Sam, who quickly darted in front of him.

"Look at me," She ordered. "I do not love Wesley, he is just a friend."

"I don't want you to be friends with him," Danny said.

Sam's brows furrowed at him when he finished speaking. "What did you just say?"

"I don't want you to be friends with Wesley," Danny repeated, a little more authority sounding off in his voice.

An indignant look appeared on Sam's face. "You can't just drag me up, say that we're done and then tell me who I can be friends with," she shouted. "Do I complain that you're friends with Valerie? Or Audrey? Or Ashley?"

"That's different," Danny fired back.

"It's a double standard."

"It is not. It's one set of rules for girls and another boys," He said. "If it was a double standard it would be what I just said except twice."

"So, you don't trust me?" Sam finally asked.

"I trust you," Danny answered. "I don't trust him."

"Well, trust that I'm a better judge of character than you give me credit for," Sam shouted.

"Remember Gregor? Or Elliot? Or whatever the hell his name was?" Danny said, causing Sam to finally explode.

"And what about Paulina? Or Valerie?" she asked, her face turning redder and redder with each name. "What about all the other girls you've checked out since we started dating?"

"You noticed?" Danny asked, sheepishly, stepping back.

"Yeah, I noticed," Sam said, her face redder than a tomato and an apple and that creepy red M&M. "And let me give you some advice, buy sunglasses if you're gonna do that."

Danny looked at her quizzically.

"You can move your eyes, just don't turn your head," she said. "God, Danny, have you ever heard a Jeff Foxworhty routine?"

"What'd you expect Sam, I'm a guy," Danny said, finally out of options (and, apparently, so is the writer)

"Is that the best you can do?" Sam asked. "Seriously? That's the best you can do. Danny, jealousy is something I never wanted around when we started dating. I wanted it to be based on mutual trust and respect."

"It is," Danny lied.

"Really?" she asked, her face changing back to it's normal color. "Because you obviously don't respect me to let me have any guy friends and you don't my judgment. So where is this relationship mutual? Now, I can't trust you to do a lot of things but I always thought I could trust you to do the right thing where our relationship is concerned. Once trust is gone there's no point in a relationship."

Danny was silently. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "But this whole thing proves my point. We can't trust each other and, you're right, once that's gone, there is no point."

"So, I guess this means we're done?" she said, almost asking instead of stating.

"Yeah," Danny said.

"Fine," Sam replied.

"Fine" punctuated Danny as he took ghost form and flew away.

**0000000000**

**"****Wow," Tucker said, watching from the neutral space, "That was brutal."**

**He took a beat.**

**"****I never thought someone could write such a sucky breakup," he quipped.**

**"****Oh, shut up." Soulless Warlock countered, looking away from the young African-American.**

**"****Are we gonna be getting to the time travel anytime soon?" Silent Scope asked. **

**"****Yeah, in a minute." Soulless Warlock said, "Let me just set it up for the readers." **

**He pulled out the Time Turner again.**

**"****Do you even have that thing legally?" Silent Scope asked.**

**Soulless Warlock looked back at his alter ego. "Does it really matter? I'm friends with Potter and his crew and they never get in trouble."**

**"****True," Silent Scope conceded. "But God hates you a lot more than them." **

**"****Shut up." Soulless Warlock turned his attention back to the readers. "Okay, before my space was invaded by these two, I was going to explain that something had obviously happened in the kitchen when Eric passed it. So," he said, turning the device dramatically, "without any further ado, I give you time travel sequence number two." **

**0000000000**

The scene returned to the kitchen where you see Bert playing with the remote control.

"Hey, man," Seth said, grabbing the remote out of his friend's hand. "You heard the crazy chick, don't mess with that thing."

"I'm not messing with it," a defensive Bert said. "I was just checking how fast this thing can wash."

Bert yanked the remote out of Seth's hand, returning back to the almost Flash-like speed it had enjoyed only moments earlier.

Seth grabbed it out of Bert's hand, who tried to grabbed it back. The duo struggled over the remote, which slammed against the counter. The hand grabbed the dishes and began to throw them around violently. The duo ducked for cover, Seth grabbing the remote.

"Shut it off! Shut it off!" Bert screamed, grabbing Seth's head, trying to use him as a human shield.

"I can't," Seth shouted. "You broke it."

"I broke it? You broke it!"

"Not only did you break, you set it on ludicrous speed."

"Ludicrous speed?"

The duo continued screaming as the hand grew spider-like legs and started to chase them around the room. Outside of the kitchen, Eric turned the corner of the hallway, surprised that after the incident with his former employees, Mr. Lester hadn't bothered to install better security. He walked by the kitchen, stopping when he heard the sounds of crashing and screaming.

"Wow, Tucker really hates doing that job," he said to himself, walking away.

**0000000000**

We return back to the current place in time, shortly after Eric was left stunned by Ashley's admission. He walked down another hallway, one closer to all the rooms where the guests stayed. Eric, who was not, by nature, a violent kid, swung his foot at the wall. This proved to be a mistake as his foot got stuck in the wall.

"Damn plaster," he shouted, struggling to free his foot, his fist slamming on the wall.

The sounds of his banging sent vibrations through the wall and went on until one of the doors opened. Eric stopped attacking the wall when he turned his head to see a familiar face.

"Hey, Elle," he squeaked, trying to turn and cover his foot. He succeeded on knocking himself to the floor.

"How'd that happen?" Elle asked, bending over to check on him.

"I put my foot through the wall," he answered.

"I can see that," she said. "How did it happen?"

"I've been having a great day," Eric said. "First, my best friend says she can't stand me, I got my foot stuck in a wall, and I've embarrassed myself in front of you."

"And you're being sarcastic," Elle added.

"I know, it's been a really crappy," he pulled on his foot and freed it from the wall, taking the plaster in the wall with him, "day," he finished.

"Need help getting rid of that?" Elle asked.

"Nah, I've got a sledgehammer at home. I can bust this off later," Eric said, his eyes widening in realization. "But, you can help me with something else."

"And that's what?" she asked, firmly intrigued by his change in facial features.

"Would you do me the honor of singing with me at the revue?" he asked, his mouth widening into a toothy smile.

"I'd love too," Elle said, helping him to his feet.

"Could you hold on for a second?" he said, slamming his leg into the wall, shattering the plaster around his ankle. "Thanks for singing with me," he said.

Eric quickly kissed Elle on the cheek and dashed off, a little more spring in his step.

**0000000000**

Nathan watched Ashley intently as she growled and stamped around the room, muttering something about "Eric" and "embarrassments" and something else that the writer couldn't come up with.

"You gonna do that all day?" Nathan asked.

Ashley stopped moving and turned to Nathan, chuckling a bit at her behavior. "Sorry, I just lost my cool."

"I would say you were straight up burning up," Nathan quipped. "Why'd you snap at him like that?"

"He doesn't know how to take no for an answer," Ashley answered. "Everything has to have a reason behind the action."

"Was there a reason you don't wanna sing with him?"

"There may be," she said.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Ashley sat down. "It's not that I don't want to sing with him, I do. But, he never thinks ahead for a good number and ends up picking something that embarrasses him in the end."

"He doesn't seem like the type that gets embarrassed easily," Nathan pointed out.

"Just because he doesn't notice, it doesn't mean that he is embarrassing himself," Ashley argued.

"True," Nathan conceded. "But, do you worry about him getting embarrassed when you're singing with him or he's singing alone?"

Ashley bit her tongue, trying to find the answer to that question. "A little of both."

"But, probably the former, right?" Nathan asked.

Ashley threw her head back on the couch and groaned. "Yes! I don't like that he doesn't realize that he is making the two of us look like total idiots."

"Why does that bother you?" he asked.

"You know how things work, first impressions are everything," she answered. "He has so much musical talent and could probably conquer the music world with it. But, unfortunately, record companies don't sign on singers that lick the songwriters or sniff your crotch because they thought they smelled a cookie."

"You really put a lot of thought into that," commended Nathan. "But, I don't think that's all there is to your reason."

"That's all it is," Ashley affirmed.

"You love him, don't you?" Nathan asked, point blank.

"Yes," Ashley said, a stunned expression on her face. "I love him like anyone loves an annoying little brother. What's love got to do with it?"

Nathan's expression quickly changed from disappointment to one of hope,."Well, if you care about him, it shouldn't matter that he does ridiculous things. And think about this, most musicians that count are really eccentric."

"But, he's too peppy," Ashley added before pausing for moment. "You know what, I've gotta go."

"No, you don't," a panicky Nathan said. "You can stay for as long as you want, I don't mind."

"Look, I can't just unload all my problems on you," she stated. "You're probably tired of hearing them."

"I'm, I'm not," he stammered as Ashley left the room, leaving him all alone.

Nathan buried his head in the couch, growling at the situation that had just unfolded between the two.

**0000000000**

Wesley sat under a tree by the library, his nose planted in the first _Phineas Poe_ story. His ears perked up when he heard the sounds of sniffling. He looked down at his book and then listened again, getting the same sound as before. Wesley placed the book on the stool and walked toward the sniffling sound. He looked behind the area of the library that could not be seen through the windows and found Sam, her face buried in her knees, her entire body shaking. Wesley sat down next to her and put his arm around her, letting her cry on shoulder. He tried his best to conceal a smile that could tell anyone that he had been right about Danny all along and this was his chance to get what he wanted.

**0000000000**

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I am sorry that I took so long to write, finding inspiration is a real bitch. Tell me what you think because I would really appreciate it simply because it's been a while since I wrote for this fandom.**


	12. Break Yourself, Fool

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any songs featured in this story. I don't know how times I've said that about any fandom, but I know it's a lot. Whatever, I own my own characters and that is it.**

**0000000**

Mr. Lester was already in a foul mood, some pea brain had put a hole in the wall next door to Elle's mother's room, the only and only *Horn honks to censor crossover reference*, and tracked the plaster all over the floor, and now something was wrong in the kitchen. He was followed Nathan, who wasn't sure what was going on, all he could remember hearing was his father screaming incoherently, making similar noises like that of a stroke patient.

Mr. Lester rounded the corner, entering the kitchen. Nathan listened at the door when he suddenly heard his father scream with the fury of a coven of banshees. He stumbled back, only to have his father reopen the door into his face, knocking him to the ground.

"Who in the hell is in charge of the kitchen?" Lester bellowed.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked, pulling himself to his feet.

Lester's breath became more and more narrow, the vein on his head transforming into an anaconda.

"Have a look for yourself!" shrilled the club owner, stamping off down the hall.

Nathan turned back to the kitchen door and gingerly stepped toward the room, slowly opening the door. He entered and smacked himself in the face, hoping the destruction had been nothing more than the hallucinations of a teenager that had been hit by a heavy wooden door only moments before.

Nathan opened his eyes again and cringed at the sight of destroyed cups, bowls, and plates, messy walls, cracked tiling, and a plethora of other destroyed items covering the kitchen floor and walls.

Nathan felt his eyes roll into the back of his head as he began to make the same noises his father had made only moments earlier. He turned and exited the kitchen, nearly ripping the door of its hinges.

**0000000**

Across Amity Park, almost everyone who worked at Clear Waters was in a funk: Sam had holed herself up in her room, refusing to talk to anyone; Eric was still looking for the perfect song for himself and Elle to sing, Danny was sulking around the house, not even bothering to avoid his father's ghost-capturing inventions. All though he did take exception to Jack's automated Ghost-Club beating him as he walked down the hall.

Audrey was not sure what was wrong with her twin and Eric, as the two had not talked for a week since Eric had told her what Ashley had said, Wesley was up in his room, avoiding the human liquor disposal (his stepfather), and looking for a way to win Sam over once and for all, and Tucker was, well, he was all by his lonesome, screwing around with his PDA…To be honest, he was the only one acting like himself.

All six teenagers were pulled out of their daze when they each heard their respective phones ring (at separate times, of course. Mo Lester is a lot of things, but he's not Superman).

**0000000**

Danny, however, was the only person who had not answered the phone. The sound of his ringing cell phone finally brought another FentonWorks inhabitant to his room, Jack. Jack's massive, though non-threatening; frame seemed to cast a shadow over his youngest child as he moved closer to the boy.

"You gonna answer that?" the older man inquired.

"No," Danny said. "It's probably Tucker or Sam. I really don't want to talk to either one of them."

Jack titled his head, getting a better view of the phone, which was lying flat on its back, the Caller ID clearly displayed.

"Actually, it's Clear Waters," Jack said, picking up the phone and checking the call log. "It's been Clear Waters for the last five times. Maybe you should pick up the phone."

"I don't wanna," Danny snapped. "I'd be perfectly happy if I got fired and then I never saw Sam again."

Jack sighed at his son's outburst. "Oh, the sea of raging hormones has yet to ebb," he said to himself. "Danny-boy, I know that breakups hurt. I had my fair share of them when I was your age. But, do you wanna know what I did?"

"Something tells me I don't," Danny said, turning his head to look at his father. "But, go on."

"I got up and I chased after the next girl," Jack said, before pausing when he saw Danny's mood grow sourer than before. "Another thing I did was work. It got my mind off of my problems."

Danny rolled his eyes at his father as his phone began to ring again. Jack decided to use an alternative method to get Danny out of his room. He stood over the youngest Fenton, the cell phone still ringing. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device that looked like a transceiver. Danny rolled over again to see what his father was up too.

"Dad, what're you doing?" he asked, cringing at his father's alternative parental methods.

"What any loving father would do for his reclusive son," Jack declared. "This device of mine is a high pitched wave frequency. It can make a ghost wet their ecto-britches if they're anywhere in the vicinity."

"I should call child services," Danny screeched, clenching his teeth. "Dad, don't do anything stupid."

"All you have to do is go down to Clear Waters," Jack said. "Because one, you seem to enjoy working there and two, I can't stand listening to that phone ring all day."

"All right, all right!" Danny shouted. "I'm going!"

Danny stormed out of the ring, switching to ghost mode and flying off to work, despite the fact that he really didn't have to work today or any other day until the show.

After Danny left, Jack smiled at his plan having worked.

"And when he gets home I'll tell him that this," he said to himself, looking at the transceiver, "was the chip from Jazz's old computer. I knew this would come in handy."

**0000000**

Danny made it to the resort, transforming back into his human form, and walked to the main dining room, where Mr. Lester had gathered the entire student staff. Danny could tell that the owner of the resort was furious about something and he was in no mood to know what it was exactly but knew he was going to have to endure when Lester's voice tore through the room.

"Where the hell have you been, Fenton?" the older man uncharacteristically bellowed. "I've been calling you for the last hour. Explain yourself!"

"I was in the shower," Danny lied. "I didn't hear the phone."

"You were in the shower for an hour?" Lester questioned, his eyes getting bigger and bigger with each word.

"No, sir," Danny stated. "I was in the shower for more than 20 minutes before that I was jogging."

Lester wasn't sure if he believed Danny, but, at the moment, he didn't care.

"Good enough," he growled. "Now, onto business."

Danny joined the crowd of student workers, getting a glare from Sam.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked, her tone more cutting than Lester's.

"I told you all where I was," Danny said out of the corner of his mouth.

"You jog about as often as I eat meat," Sam said.

"So you're calling me a liar now?" he fired back, a little louder than he anticipated.

"Excuse me," Lester shouted, breaking up the fledgling argument, "am I interrupting anything?"

"Not anymore," Danny snapped back.

Lester chose to ignore his employee's little temper flare for now. He soon returned to his original point, turning to Nathan, who handed him the automated dishwashing hand. Audrey suddenly felt a twinge of a heat rash appearing on her neck.

"Now, I know very little about mechanics this advanced," Lester said, "that's more of Nathan's department, but I do recognize this," He produced the chip from the hand, "as the CPU chip of the Zoid. Something that was obviously stolen from the Zoid for this little travesty."

Audrey opened her mouth to say something, only to have Ashley cover her mouth.

"Now, there are only four people who work in the kitchen as of right now. Only one of you, however, could've have had the tech know-how to create something like this," Lester proclaimed. "And that one person is Tucker Foley."

And, much like they do in all cartoons, everyone broke away, leaving Tucker in the middle of the floor, alone and defenseless.

"Let's not forget, Tucker has never liked the idea of working in the kitchen," Nathan added. "In fact, he screamed and cried when you assigned him to said work detail."

"So, Tucker, do you have anything to say in your defense," Lester asked, "or did you speak your mind when you caused over $2,000 dollars worth of damages to my kitchen?"

"No," Tucker said solemnly. "I admit that I used it, but I didn't build it."

"Right," crowed Lester. "You just expect me to believe that somebody else just slid under my radar and could build something like this," he continued, gesturing to the hand, "and I wouldn't know about it?"

Audrey stepped on Ashley's foot, causing her twin to release her.

"That's right," Audrey said, "a techno-genius did sneak in under your radar, which, by the way, sucks ass. I built that thing to help Tucker. I did it because, well, you seemed to get some sadistic joy out of making him work as a dishwasher," she declared. "I also did it to see if that thing would work and I realize now that I should've put better directions on it."

The last comment was directed at Bert and Seth, who had simply slinked off to the side, hoping they wouldn't be implicated in the whole situation. Mr. Lester looked at the young girl, sizing her up.

"Miss Saxon," he finally said, "you realize that you are taking the blame for all the damage that has been done because of your actions?"

"Yes, I do," she said, her voice never breaking in her resolve.

"Very well," Lester said, "We can pull Jodi off of lifeguard detail to work at the show. You may go home, Audrey, and stay there. I'll mail the bill to your parents."

Audrey shot a wink at Tucker before taking back her invention and leaving the dining room and the resort for potentially the last time.

**0000000**

The dining room had cleared out and Ashley went to find Jodi to inform her of her new promotion and the others had returned to the show or to work. Tucker had taken stayed in the dining room to work on the lights for the upcoming revue. He didn't seem to notice that Danny had been lagging around as well.

Danny walked over to Tucker, who was completely engrossed in his work, and tapped him on the shoulder. Tucker lashed out and almost took Danny's head off with his wrench.

"Whoa!" Danny shouted, barely dodging the tool. "I know you're mad at me for putting those pictures of you dressed as Baby New Year's on MySpace, but I don't think I deserve that."

Tucker sighed at Danny's attempt at levity, "Sorry," he said, returning to his original task.

"Are you not talking to me too?" Danny asked.

"I'm busy, Danny," the ghost boy's best friend stated. "I'm in enough trouble with Mr. Lester already, I don't want to screw up the lights for this show."

"Well, I don't know what he's so mad about," Danny said. "It's not like you asked her to give you the stupid thing."

"No, I didn't," Tucker said, his temper reaching its breaking point. "But, she wouldn't have helped me if you had been a better worker instead of flying around spying on your girlfriend."

"Are you saying it's my fault Audrey got fired?" shouted Danny.

"No, I'm saying that you should've trusted Sam and stayed in the kitchen with me," Tucker said. "If you remember correctly, it was your idea for us all to apply here."

"Only because I wanted to be a good friend!" Danny shouted, balling his fist.

"Yeah, and you've been a great friend, just like you've been a good boyfriend," Tucker shot back.

Danny slugged Tucker in the mouth, knocking him back into his chair.

"What is your damn problem?" Tucker asked, when the feeling in his jaw returned.

"I'm getting sick and tired of you and Sam blaming me for crap!" Danny declared. "I was worried about her."

"Sam is big girl, Danny, she can take care of herself," Tucker said. "As if all the fights we've had with Desiree, Ember, Skulker, or any of the other ghosts weren't any indication of the fact. If you weren't so busy being a possessive jackass, you may have noticed that."

Danny didn't say anything. He simply growled and stormed out of the dining room toward the rehearsal area, leaving Tucker alone with is thoughts.

**0000000**

Outside, Wesley and Sebastian were at the piano, the latter playing the melody off the sheet music and the former singing enthusiastically, _"__Cause it feels wonderful, they think I'm wonderful," _he danced._ "Hey, look who's wonderful, this corn-fed hick! Who said it might be keen to build a town of green and a wonderful road of yellow brick."_

Sebastian than began to play a more subdued melody, allowing Wesley to speak again, "You see, I never had a family of my own, so, I guess, I just wanted to give the citizens of Oz everything."

Their rehearsal was cut off by a new voice, "So, you lied to them?"

Wesley turned around and saw Sam standing behind him.

"Hey," he said, waving at Sebastian to stop playing. "How you doing?"

"Fine actually," she said. "I, um…" she seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Want me to get rid of him?" Wesley asked, looking back at Sebastian. "Cause it wouldn't be much of a problem. Turns out, Gail's voice can shatter a testicle, but she's a really good pianist."

"I'm sitting right here," Sebastian said, looking around for some validation of his claim.

"Or," Wesley suggested, "we could have a change in venue?"

"I'll go with the second choice," Sam said. "I've kind of gotten attached to Sebastian."

"Thank you, Sam," Sebastian said. "It's nice to know my acquaintances think more highly of me than my friends do."

Wesley blew a raspberry at his friend before following Sam away from the rehearsal scenes.

**0000000**

Audrey was on her way out from Clear Waters when she heard somebody shout her name. She turned and looked around for her caller but saw nothing. She turned to leave once again when the process repeated itself. Audrey turned to leave again when she heard the voice again, getting enough of the voice to recognize it.

"Eric!" she said. "Stop playing hide and seek, I'm not in mood."

Eric stood up from the ground, wearing ground camouflage on his shoulders.

"Why isn't anyone in the mood to play these days?" he asked, a pout forming on his lips.

"I'm sorry for getting so mad at you," Audrey said. "I'm just pissed at Ashley right now."

"Why?" he asked.

"She told me about your little argument," Audrey admitted. "Why she doesn't want to sing with you."

"She already told me why," Eric said, the pout finally formed. "She said she was sick of me."

"That's not the case, little buddy," she said. "Do you wanna know the real reason?"

"Yeah, she doesn't hate me, does she?" he asked.

"Far from it," Audrey stated. "C'mon, Eric, you're like the little brother we never had, of course she doesn't hate you."

"Good," nodded Eric.

"She's embarrassed of you," she said, cutting Eric off before he could say anything. "And the reason she's embarrassed is because of the things you do and the things you sing."

Eric pondered what his surrogate sister had said to him before asking, "Why didn't she tell me that instead of yelling at me?"

Audrey shrugged, "She's knows how sensitive you are. She didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"She certainly has no problem hurting me physically," Eric stated. "Yet she's worried about my feelings?"

"She's bipolar like that," Audrey quipped. "It's really got nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that she's an insecure conformist. She thinks that everything we do reflects on her and she wants us all to be perfect so we don't ruin the picture she gives the world."

Eric thought about this, "Thanks, Audrey," he said before dashing off from her sight.

Audrey turned around before she was stopped again by a new voice shouting her name.

"God, can a girl leave this dump without everyone wanting to talk to her?" she shrieked, turning her attention back to her new caller.

**0000000**

Wesley and Sam took a seat in the chairs by the pool, which was conspicuously empty, not noticing that Danny was standing behind them. Of course, he was invisible, so it was pretty much a given that they wouldn't see him.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" Wesley asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for last week," Sam said

"You didn't have to drag me all the way here to tell me that," Wesley said.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but with rehearsals going on I just wanted to make sure you heard me."

"And you didn't want Danny to see us talking?" he asked, a smile forming on his lips.

"That's another reason," Sam said, looking around and glaring at the invisible Danny.

She couldn't see him but she definitely knew he was there.

"Again, thank you. You've been a good friend," she said, patting him on the hand.

Wesley's smile was even bigger at the feeling of voluntary contact.

"So, you've thanked me and I want to ask you something," Wesley said. "I know it's too soon to ask you out…" Sam opened her mouth, but Wesley quickly cut her off. "I'm not gonna ask you out, but I am asking you to sing with me for the show."

Sam examined his face, looking for any signs of ulterior motive, "And that's all?"

"Well, I was thinking we could check out the Kurosawa film festival that's coming to town," he continued. "But, I'll let you decide on that too."

Sam rubbed her chin, thinking about what he had asked. It wasn't like he would see something deeper in singing with him and she always went to film festivals with Tucker, so there's no way she could consider it a date.

"Can I think about it?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I better get back to rehearsals. Then again, so should you."

"Don't worry, I'll catch up," Sam said, as Wesley walked through the halls, disappearing from view.

Sam spun around the table, in the general direction of Danny, who had moved into a nearby tree.

"Okay, ghost spy, I know you're there," she said, a look of rage mixed with a 75 percent chance of disgust on her face.

0000000

Meanwhile, back at the rehearsal, Eric was plugging away at his sheet music, looking for a duet that wasn't too silly or childish in Ashley's opinion. He didn't notice Elle sneaking up on him. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he back flipped out of his chair and crashed onto the chairs behind, causing them to fall around him, burying himself as Terry Funk and Mick Foley had done at one memorable ECW show.

"I was about to say, 'nice reflexes', Elle said, "but, never mind."

Eric pulled himself out of the chairs, "Hey, Elle," he said, as if nothing happened. "I'm glad you got my call."

"Yeah, you said it was about the act, right?" she asked.

"It is," he said. "I wanted you and me to pick out a song so we know what we're shooting for."

"Well, so long as it doesn't have any acrobatics, you should be fine with it," Elle quipped.

Eric didn't catch her sarcasm and picked up his book of sheet music, opening it in front of Elle.

The duo went through it, each one shooting down duets they didn't want to sing. The scene changed when Elle let out a scream toward the end of the book.

"I found it," she declared. "We have to sing this song, it's so cute."

Eric looked over and his eyes widened with joy before he realized that this ruined his plan.

"We can't sing that one," he said, shaking his head like Rain Man. "Definitely can't sing that one."

"And why not?" Elle inquired.

"I just don't want too," he said quickly. "I've got a better book in my locker, if you wanna check that one out."

He sprang to his feet, offering his hand.

"Well, we're not finding anything in here so, why not," she said, taking his hand and standing up.

The young duo vanished into the club, all the while Sebastian had been watching the interaction. When someone crashes through a row of seats, one tends to take notice of it. He walked over to the book Eric had left behind, he looked down at the final pages. Shaking his head, he placed the book on the chair and walked away.

**0000000**

While all of this was happening, Audrey had still not left the premises, this time Tucker had interrupted her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Tucker caught his breath. "I just wanted to say thank you for back there."

"You don't have to thank me, Tucker," she said. "I was responsible for what happened."

"No, you weren't," Tucker argued. "You wouldn't have given me that thing if…"

"Do you have a hearing problem?" Audrey asked. "I gave it to you, therefore I am responsible for whatever happens afterwards."

Tucker tried to argue her point, but she cut him off again, "Okay, you want to thank me, you wanna feel like we're square?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she said, smiling devilishly. "Let's say you owe me."

"I owe you?" he asked, not sure if he liked where this was going.

"You owe me," she repeated. "You don't owe me right now. It's a lot like Money in the Bank, I can cash in on this favor anytime I want."

Tucker gulped in fear, before finally shuttering a rather uncomfortable segue way, "Do you, um, think that, um, Jodi'll pick up the slack for you?"

Audrey pursed her lips, "You know, I never thought about that. I was in charge of the tech crew, wasn't I?"

"You already know the answer to that," Tucker responded, airing out his collar, unsure of what Audrey was going to do next.

"Very true," she said. "Now, I don't know much about Jodi but she doesn't look like a real tech hand much less the leader of the pack. You, on the other hand, do."

"Is this the favor?" he asked.

"No, that was a suggestion," she said. "My favor will come after I've had ample time to think about it. The head of the tech crew, though, will need someone like you to lead them in this show."

Audrey then turned and finally left Clear Waters for the last time, leaving to Tucker to let the idea of him heading the crew to sink in.

**0000000**

Danny turned visible, a scowl on his face that almost rivaled Sam's.

"What the hell, Sam?" he crowed. "We just broke up and now going on a date with that clown."

"I am not going on a date with him," she said. "Do I go places with Tucker?"

"Yeah," Danny answered.

"Were they dates?"

"No," Danny said, trying to keep both legs to stand on.

"Which means I can be friends with a guy and not have any romantic implications?" she asked, trying her best to conceal her rage.

She failed in this, but she should get a gold star for trying.

"That's totally different," Danny fired back. "Tucker isn't interested in you, Wesley is."

"I know he is, but he's not going away," Sam said. "I am trying to show him that he and I can be friends without there being awkward moments between us."

"And why do you care?" Danny shouted. "It's not like he doesn't have other friends."

"That's the thing, outside of Sebastian, he doesn't," argued Sam.

Danny scoffed at her statement, "Well, I'm not surprised, the way he goes around stealing other people's girlfriends."

"I am not your girlfriend anymore. And even if I was, I would've probably have dumped you by now because you are acting like a paranoid, possessive jackass," Sam retorted. "And other thing, I wasn't lying about Wesley not having any friends. I know what that's like. No one liked me until you and Tucker came around."

"I'm beginning to regret that," Danny mumbled.

"What'd you say?" demanded Sam.

"Nothing," Danny growled. "I didn't say anything, which is what our friendship apparently means to you. So go on, chase after your crybaby loner. They seem to be your type anyways."

"Believe it or not," she shot back, turning and leaving the poolside area.

Danny marched to the opposite side entrance so he could go back to rehearsals and, maybe, run into the Box Ghost. He hadn't beaten him up in a long time and he needed something to take his rage out on.

**0000000**

Tucker returned to the rehearsal area to find Mr. Lester and Nathan sitting, seemingly distracted by their conversation. He approached them, a look of faux determination on his face. He cleared his throat, getting Lester's attention.

The older man looked at Tucker. "What is it, Foley?"

"I just had a talk with Audrey Saxon and she had one last thing to say to you," he began.

"If it's what she told me I could do with my cactus plant, I've already heard it," Mr. Lester stated. "So, go back to putting those lights together…"

"Audrey was the head of the stage crew!" blurted Tucker.

Lester paused, realizing what Tucker had said was true. "What do you want?"

"You gave Jodi her spot and I don't think Jodi knows anything about tech for a show like this."

"I don't," the voice of Jodi Jacobson shouted from a distance.

"I want the job," Tucker said, holding his ground.

Lester paused for a moment. He turned to Nathan, who simply shrugged at him.

"You've got it, Foley," Lester said. "Don't screw it up."

"Yes, sir," Tucker said, darting off the tech crew, ready to lead them into a successful show.

**0000000**

**A/N #1: Wow, I finished another chapter. This story is slowly, but surely, coming along. I hope my readers have the patience to wait for the next chapter.**

**A/N #2: If anyone has an idea for any reconciliation duets, please tell me. I've already got one planned out for one duo and I need to the second one to top that. There is only one rule for this: Nothing too sappy or funny, I want something genuinely sweet that can be sung by two people.**

**A/N #3: To Katherine: I love the idea of "We Go Together", but I'm going to use it as the finale number.**


	13. A Mid Summer's Nightmare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any songs featured in this story. I don't know how times I've said that about any fandom, but I know it's a lot. Whatever, I own my own characters and that is it.**

**0000000**

It was midnight, four days before the opening of Clear Waters Musical Revue, and Sebastian Prichard was not fast asleep. This seemed to be the story of his life today, nothing was going his way. He growled, rolling over to look at his alarm clock, hoping that the monotony of watching the green numbers change would be enough to put him to sleep.

It was odd because when he woke up that morning he had a good feeling about the day ahead.

"I guess Wes it right about pessimists having it better than everyone else," he said to himself, groaning in mental misery.

Sebastian kicked off the sheets, stumbling around in his darkened room. He grunted when his knee slammed into his dresser. His hands groped in the dark, looking for the lamp. He finally found the lamp, switching it on and getting some illumination. Sebastian surveyed the room, realizing that the light was probably the best idea he'd had all day and all night.

Sebastian trudged over to his desk, reaching into the right drawer, pulling the bottom out to reveal a hidden panel. Inside said panel was a small notebook. The musician pulled the notebook onto his desk, grabbing a pen. He ran the tip of the pen against the first page, checking to see if it was still useable. Naturally, it wasn't, so he grabbed a pencil and flipped to a clean page.

The pianist began to write in the notebook, "Sebastian's Journal. July 8, 2009. So much to report today. Just couldn't find the words to describe it earlier. Job is slowly becoming most crap-tacular thing ever. Today is perfect example of this…"

**0000000**

The scene changed to earlier in the day. Danny (in ghost form) landed safely on the ground, looking around for any sign of prying eyes before changing from Danny Phantom to Danny Fenton. Under his arm, he was carrying a massive song tome and a book marker lodged half through the middle of the book.

For all he had been through and had put himself through in the last few weeks, he was in a surprisingly chipper mood. He practically glided over to the front door of Clear Waters, his grin becoming bigger as he did.

With all the bluster he was giving off, Danny wasn't watching where he was going and he almost walked into Tucker, who managed to dodged his friend.

"Wow, nice reflexes," Danny said, smiling smugly.

"Thanks," Tucker responded, venom heavy in his voice.

Danny rolled his eyes at his angered best friend. "What is it now?"

Tucker turned to face Danny. "You and Sam just broke up and you're walking around happy as a clam."

"First of all, Tucker," Danny said, his smile turning into a sneer, "Sam didn't waste any time hooking up with Wesley. So, I figured, I should be happy. Happy I off-loaded that psycho onto a giant fruit loop who was more her style."

Tucker had about as much as he could stand; he speared Danny to the floor, getting all of his weight over him. He dug into his pockets, withdrawing a vial of water. Tucker opened the vial and began to doss Danny with the contents of the vial.

"The power of Christ compels you!" Tucker shouted. "The power of Christ compels you!"

Danny countered, turning intangible and going through the floor. Tucker, unfortunately, hadn't thought that far ahead, falling face first onto the ground. Danny resurfaced from the floor, an angry look on his face.

"Jesus, Tuck, what the hell's your problem?" was all Danny could muster from his shock.

"I'm performing an exorcism," declared Tucker, springing to his feet. "The Danny I know would never act like this."

"Maybe he grew up," Danny said, a shadow casting over his face.

"Oh, hell no. You will not take him," Tucker shrilled at the top of his lungs, charging at Danny again, the bottle of Holy Water at the ready.

Danny used Tucker's momentum against him, pinning his friend to the wall and disarming him.

"Listen," Danny said, "I'm not possessed. I've just had an epiphany."

Tucker struggled for a moment in Danny's grip, not sure what to think.

"Now, I'm gonna let you go. You promise not to attack me again?"

"Yeah," grunted Tucker.

Danny released his friend and stepped back. The young hero turned to walk away when he heard Tucker ask.

"What was this so-called epiphany?"

"Sometimes the hero and the girl of the story aren't supposed to be together," Danny said, a shadow still hanging over his face.

Tucker shook his head in disappointment, "I don't believe that."

Danny didn't say anything, neither did Tucker. They stood around the hallway like this for a few minutes. Tucker eventually broke the silence,

"So," he said, as casually as possible, "what was with the smile earlier?"

"I finally found the song that I'm gonna sing for the show," Danny said, smiling mischievously.

**0000000**

All though a number of the Clear Waters' employees were at the club, rehearsing for the revue, a few were not. One of those few was Eric Ridley, who seemed like a camper lost in the woods, searching for a park ranger…I better repeat that in English. He was confused and conflicted.

On one hand, he could sing what he wanted and lose Ashley as a friend. On the other, he could change his plans, thereby compromising the integrity of his performance. On the phantom hand that very few humans know they have, what could it hurt to be a little bit normal? On the other phantom hand that nobody but the elect knew they had, why was he worried about this sort of thing, he knew what Ashley was like. Or maybe, he didn't know or maybe he did and he didn't want to acknowledge it.

Eric pursed his lips and turned his attention back to the lobby piano, all this conflict and philosophical thought was making his head hurt. He needed some music to soothe his soul. Eric's fingers glided across the piano, showing a marked improvement in his playing since he was in _The Producers. _

His playing was interrupted when he heard a voice say, "Hey, Short Stack, what's up?"

He craned his head around to see his mother, Lizzie Spellman, standing on the front of the stairs that led to the upper floors of the Prometheus.

"The sky," he answered, his voice lacking the same enthusiasm as it would normally have, "a couple of superheroes just passing through. A genie who was just free, flying around like a maniac."

Lizzie chuckled at the boy's response, but she could tell that something was bothering him.

"You feeling okay?" she asked, walking down the stairs and moving in closer to Eric.

"Nothing I can't recover from," he said, "but, my head hurts."

Lizzie grinned, "Been pondering deep questions again?"

"Surprisingly, yes," was his answer. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said, "it's what I'm here for."

Eric was about to open his mouth, but Lizzie quickly cut him off, "Is this that Garfield and Odie question again?"

"No, and it's not about what chairs would be like if our legs were turned around," reassured Eric.

"Then fire away," Lizzie said, now ready for the question.

"When you were in high school, did you try to fit in or did you…" he stopped to try and find the right words.

Lizzie shrugged before giving them to him. "Stand out?"

"Yeah," he said, relief on his face.

"I tried to fit in," she answered, Eric's facing drooping sadly. "But, it never worked out for me. Is this about what Ashley said to you?"

"How do you know what she said?" Eric inquired.

"Audrey told me," Lizzie answered.

"Does she fink on everyone?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

**0000000**

Back at Clear Waters, Danny had made it to the rehearsal area. He stopped mid-step when he saw Wesley and Sam, who seemed to be the only ones outside of Nathan and Ashley who cared about the show, standing by the piano, singing,

_ "__Take me for what I am!"_

_ "__Who I was meant to be!" _Wesley declared.

Sam repeated with just as much enthusiasm. _"__Who I was meant to be!" _

Danny slammed the book onto the piano, stopping the singers' mid-line.

"How's everyone doing?" Danny asked, smiling that same smug smile he had on his face when he entered Clear Waters only minutes ago.

"We're fine," Sam said, Wesley moving closer to her.

There was a moment of total, awkward silence before Sebastian broke through it, "Okay, Total Drama Triangle," he quipped. "Sam, why don't you and Wes take a powder, Danny's obviously got something to show me."

Sam glared at her ex, walking away from the piano, making sure Wesley had his hand on her arm. Danny almost followed after them, but was stopped by a sudden pang of brilliance. He smiled devilishly and turned to Sebastian, who seemed both uninterested and annoyed by the drama surrounding him.

"What'd you have, Danny?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, I thought I had the perfect song, at last," Danny stated. "But, now, I know I have it."

**0000000**

Sam watched Danny talking to Sebastian, wishing she had taken that course in lip-reading so she could find out what he was saying. Wesley noticed the look on Sam's face.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said, shaking her out of her gaze.

"What?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

"I said, 'penny for your thoughts'," he answered. "It's an old expression."

Sam chuckled at the lame joke, "I know what it is. I'm just wondering how he can act so smug and happy after…"

"After a breakup?" Wesley finished for her.

"Exactly," Sam said, "he walks around like nothing but something did happen."

"Well," Wesley said, "and feel free to hit me for this, but aren't you doing the same thing with me."

Sam looked at him, an almost angry but mostly 'how did you figure it out' out.

"You act like you're happy, or whatever passes for happy with you, every time that it's the three of us," Wesley said. "But, you're not happy."

Sam sighed, "I just don't want him to think that it bothers me."

Wesley put his hand on hers, grasping it, "If it's any consolation," he said, "I've got a feeling he's just as upset as you."

"I don't wanna take that chance," she said, biting her lower lip.

"Well," Wesley said, "if you need to talk to anyone, my door and/or whatever it is that separates you and me is always open."

Sam kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," he said, smiling.

His smile turned into a giant, shit-eating grin when Sam grabbed him and kissed him on the lips. What he didn't see was that Danny had turned his attention to the duo and Sam had acted on the spur of the moment. She did, however, relax into the kiss.

**0000000**

"My whole point is, Eric," Lizzie, who had moved to the piano seat, said, "you stand out and because she's your friend, Ashley stands out."

"But what's wrong with that?" Eric asked, his voice cracking for a moment.

Lizzie began rubbing her temples.

"Nothing, but Ashley just wants to be part of the crowd."

"Why though? The crowd sucks," Eric said.

"Okay," Lizzie said, a new calm coming over her. "It's like this; you know how you and Martin don't care about what people think?"

Eric nodded.

"Not everyone is as secure as you two," Lizzie continued. "I wasn't always. I wanted to fit into the crowd and I couldn't. But that's because I was trying too hard. Ashley tries but she can do it."

"So as I'm not there weighing her down?" Eric asked.

Lizzie shook her head. "No. That's not it. She, it's kind of hard to describe, doesn't want people to laugh at her, she wants them to laugh with her."

"She wants to be popular, right?" Eric asked.

"Not really. She just wants to be accepted by people without them judging her."

Eric paused for a moment. "She just wants people to like her."

"Yeah," Lizzie said, ruffling his hair.

**0000000**

Meanwhile, outside, Ashley was listening to the conversation between Eric and Lizzie. What her friend had said had sort of struck a chord with her. Was she really that insecure? Much like Eric had been earlier, Ashley was knocked out of her thoughts by the sound of a small explosion and a body hitting the ground.

She turned around, watching her father, covered in gunpowder and ash, pull himself to his feet.

"Okay, Audrey, now we know that was too much gunpowder," he said, darting back into the hotel.

Ashley cringed at her father and sister's experiment gone awry. Before she could, she heard another pair of feet. Elliot had slipped out of the shadows. Ashley jumped when she turned and saw her godfather.

"God, you scared me," she said.

"Sorry," the pale man said, his thin figure clinging to the shade.

"It's all right," Ashley said, as Elliot turned around to head back into the hotel. "Elliot?"

Elliot stopped, mid-step. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Shoot," Elliot said.

"Do you think I'm a sheep?" she asked.

"A what?" the older man inquired.

"A sheep? Insecure? A follower? A…"

"Yes, I do," Elliot said.

"I wasn't finished…"

"I know," Elliot said. "I think you're a very insecure young woman. But, I don't really blame you. If I had a father like Martin Saxon, I'd worry about what other people thought of me too. Though I would miss out on a lot if I worried about that crap."

Ashley looked at her godfather, who turned his attention back to the lobby.

"Why do you think your dad is so happy all of the time?" he asked.

Elliot vanished into the hotel, leaving Ashley with those words. Ashley watched from a distance as Elliot and Eric met midway through the lobby and started to play wrestle. She smiled a little before catching herself in the middle of security and serenity.

**0000000**

Tucker was poised to leave Clear Waters, his friendship with Danny somewhat mended. Now, all he had to do was fix Danny and Sam's broken relationship. The only question was how? He pulled out his PDA, hoping it had the answers. Just as he was doing this, however, he felt a chill run up his spine.

"I think I can help with that," a new voice said, causing the young man to jump in fright

**0000000**

"And that is why my day sucked ass," Sebastian said, finishing the journal entry.

**"Yeah, that does suck,"** a familiar voice said.

Sebastian turned around to see a flashing red light, the end result left him blank. Soulless Warlock grabbed the journal off of the desk and pulled out the pages that Sebastian had just written.

**"You do not know the true identity of Danny Phantom and you never wrote in your journal tonight,"** Soulless Warlock said. **"You had a full night's sleep and will wake up completely rested and a little more jovial tomorrow." **

The author stuffed the pages in his robes and turned to leave through the void he had created. He stopped for a moment and looked out to the audience.

**"Don't look at me like that. You would've done it too,"** he shouted to the disapproving gazes he was getting.

He disappeared into the void, leaving Sebastian alone.

**0000000**

**A/N #1: Another chapter out of the shoot. Lucky 13, I hope. Anyways, read and enjoy. Feel free to tell what you thought. I know it's been awhile but I think this chapter is all right. But, your opinions mean more to me than my own.**

**A/N # 2: By the way, I'm still looking for a Danny and Sam finale number. I have a possible song, it's called "I'd Give It All for You" from "Songs for a New World" or the Queen song, "It's A Hard Life" but I'm not sure if they are song that can top Eric's performance. Remember I'm open to most suggestions so I'll take anything that's in English. It's not so much a prejudicial thing as it is a grammatical thing, I cannot properly reconfigure a song in a foreign language.**


	14. PrePre Showdown

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any songs featured in this story. I don't know how times I've said that about any fandom, but I know it's a lot. Whatever, I own my own characters and that is it.**

**0000000**

Four days had elapsed since the moment Danny had now dubbed "the incident" and to say Danny was furious would be an insult to furious people everywhere (including Lawrence Fishburne in _Boyz N the Hood_), but Danny was putting on a front that said, "Let her kiss whoever she wants, karma (AKA me) is gonna get her". He walked down the stairs leading into the living room at FentonWorks, only to be accosted by the photo his mother had taken of him, Sam and his father almost two months ago. It had been blown up and framed.

Danny buried his face in his hands, completely unaware that his father sneaking up on him. He just hoped that Jack would be out of this stupor before the show that night.

"What'd you think of the picture?" Jack shouted, springing into view.

Danny came within an inch of being a full-blown ghost, leaping into the air in absolute terror. As he fell to the ground, Jack reached out and caught him. Jack set his son on the ground and dusted him off.

"So, what'd you think of the picture?" repeated Jack. "The portrait people just sent it to me this morning."

Danny groaned, trying to escape while his father rambled on about Maddie getting his "bad side". Danny walked into the kitchen where he found Jazz, who was pouring a cup of tea.

"Good morning," she said, in a chipper tone. "Or afternoon, whichever one you prefer."

"Afternoon," Danny said, a depressed look on his face.

Jazz studied her brother's face. "I take it you saw Mom's masterpiece portrait?"

"Yeah," Danny asked, fiddling with the dent he had made in the table when he was nine.

Jazz sat down at the table, allowing her brother to sulk for a little while. After she had decided he had had sufficient sulking time, she broke the silence.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked, reaching into her pocket to get her notebook and pen.

"Why does everybody keep asking me that?" Danny snapped, springing to his feet. "If I wanted to talk about 'it', I would."

"That's not always the case, Danny," Jazz said, her psychiatrist cap on. "I think you're just trying to deny that your breakup hurt you."

Danny snorted in frustration. "Jazz, if it bothered me, do you think I would be happy for her that she's with Wesley."

However, Danny's action told Jazz he was anything but happy. He had accidentally put a hole in the table where the old dent use to be with an ecto-melt. He stopped when he saw smoke rising where his hand should've been.

"I might be a little upset," Danny said, standing up. "Look, Jazz, I know you wanna help me out and everything but I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"It's been two weeks, Danny-boy, if you don't talk about soon you could snap on the wrong person."

Danny groaned, stepping out of the kitchen, passing his father, who seemed fascinated by the portrait.

"You know," Jack said to himself, "I could've sworn I didn't order this thing. Oh well, I must've forgot. I'd forget my own head if it wasn't tied on."

**0000000**

Eric stood by the piano, which had been moved onto the stage, which was finally completed. Sebastian played the melody for his friend, who was singing with a lot of oomph and power with Elle.

_ "__Let the songs begin!" _Eric sang.

Elle stepped forward, showing good poise and began to sing, _"__Dejalo nacer." _

Eric surveyed the area, noticing that Nathan and Ashley were watching the final rehearsal before the show.

He turned back to Elle and sang, _"__Let the music play." _

Elle harmonized in a perfectly-pitched operatic soprano, _"__Ahhhhhhhh..."_

_ "__Make the voices sing," _Eric declared.

_ "__Nace un gran amor," _Elle warbled.

Eric sang happily, _"__Start the celebration!" _

_ "__Van a mi," _Elle harmonized.

Eric moved closer to Elle, his words having more power behind them. _"__And cry..." _

_ "__Grita..."_

He stopped, taking Elle's hand, who was singing with as much enthusiasm.

_ "__Come alive..."_

_ "__Vive..."_

Eric let go of her hand and raised his own into the air.

_ "__And shake the foundations from the skies!" _he belted.

He held the note of "skies", his voice cracking, and began to counting the beats leading into the next part of the song. Before he could, however, he stopped Sebastian, who was finally getting into the music. The Band stopped playing as well, Jason and Carmen could tell that there was something wrong with the usually chipper Eric.

"I think we've got to zero in on that line, I've been having trouble hitting it all week," Eric said. "I don't know what it is. I've never had a problem hitting it before."

"Maybe your heart isn't in it," Sebastian said, holding up Eric's tome of music. "I'm sure there's a song in there that you've wanted to sing."

"Sebastian, you're very transparent," the younger teen said. "I know you don't want me to sing this."

"Yeah, he's not the only one, Eric," Elle interjected. "I know you can sing this, I've heard you do it, but you're acting like you just pulled this one out of your ass."

"I wanted a change of pace," Eric argued. "Is that so wrong?"

"No," Elle said, "but, you have to want to change your pace, otherwise it's just talk. My mom had the same problem when we had an intervention for her."

"The difference is," Eric said, "I'm not an alcoholic."

Elle's mouth opened, but no words came out of it. It was safe to say she was pissed at Eric for his comments.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just realized something."

"And that is?" Sebastian inquired.

"That my actions reflect on others," he replied as evasively as possible.

Sebastian eyed his friend before turning the music back. "Should we take it from the top?"

Elle looked at Eric, who didn't say a word. "Yeah, why not?"

**0000000**

Tucker, meanwhile, was nowhere near FentonWorks or Clear Waters, he was actually getting the chance to make good on the words he made last chapter.

**0000000**

** "Set up the Time Turner, Saul," Soulless Warlock shouted to his lackey, Saul Milton Simms, who was growling at his boss. "Don't give me that," Soulless Warlock commanded. "You know that my last jaunt through time damaged the Time Turner and if I die there's no story." **

** "But, there's a story if I die?" Saul questioned.**

** "Yes," The warlock stated bluntly. "Besides, if I ever figure out how to open that dimensional rift again, I'll revive you with the Dragon Balls." **

** Saul narrowed his eyes at his less than trustworthy boss, "For some reason I don't believe you," he said, moving closer to the device. **

** Saul rearranged the configurations, allowing Soulless Warlock to slip behind the protective wall he had conjured up moments earlier. The time flux began to spin backward, taking the story toward the end of the last chapter. **

**0000000**

_ Tucker was poised to leave Clear Waters, his friendship with Danny somewhat mended. Now, all he had to do was fix Danny and Sam's broken relationship. The only question was how? He pulled out his PDA, hoping it had the answers. Just as he was doing this, however, he felt a chill run up his spine. _

_ "I think I can help with that," a new voice said, causing the young man to jump in fright. "Hey chill!" the voice shouted, maneuvering out of the shadows. _

_ Tucker took off his glasses in order to rub his eyes, hoping to knock whatever trick they playing on him aside. When he placed them back on his face, the sight had not vanished. In front of Tucker stood a young winged woman, who looked a lot like Thumbelina from the Don Bluth film. Of course, if Thumbelina was five foot nine, then they'd be identical. _

_ "__Great," groaned Tucker. "I guess this is the part where I wake up or you turn into a psychotic ghost?" _

_ "__No," the being said, moving in closer to Tucker. _

_ Tucker, however, did not want to be near her, he sprang back, his arms and legs flailing through the air like a drunk Kung-Fu master or some bozo who thought he knew martial arts. _

_ "__I wouldn't try me if I were you," he boldly declared. "I've got some moves." _

_ The being seemed stunned for a moment, before lowering her head in confusion. Tucker stopped bouncing around, only for the being's fist to level him to the ground. _

_ "__By the way, Tuck," she said. "That's a great way to fight, arms down, face presented." _

_ Tucker was quickly back on his feet. "How do you know my name?" _

_ "__If you'd stopped bouncing around, I'd be more than willing to feel you in on who I am, what I know, and how I know what I know." _

_ Tucker wasn't sure what to do, obviously Danny would've been there by now if she was a ghost, unless of course, she could block his ghost sense. It's not like it hadn't happened before. He stepped forward, a little apprehension in his movements, but still it was enough for the being to relax her posture as well. _

_ "__Talk," ordered the sufficiently freaked teen._

_ "__I was gonna talk whether you wanted me to or not," she fired back. "My name is Carla and I am a Cupid." _

_ "__A Cupid?" Tucker inquired, raising an eyebrow at her._

_ "__Yeah, and if you make some smartass remark about me not being chubby and naked, I'll knock you out," cautioned Carla. _

_ "__Okay," Tucker said, his hands raised defensively. "Why are you here?" _

_ "__I was getting to that," Carla said. "Your two friends, Danny and Sam, have split, am I right?" _

_ Tucker was a bit surprised at the Cupid's knowledge of events, "Yeah, but how did you know?" he asked._

_ "__My employer gave me the details," she said, "and before you ask me, which he told me you would, I'm gonna tell you I am not allowed to reveal his identity."_

_ "__Why?" Tucker asked. _

_ "__Plot reasons," Carla responded, shrugging her shoulders. "Now, I am here to help you. I heard that you wanted to help Danny and Sam find their way back to each other and I'm gonna need your help." _

_ "__Why would you need me?" _

_ "__Easy. I can't force two people to realize their feelings for each other. You know, free will and all that jazz," she said. "But, if I can remind them of why they were together to begin with and they get together than I've done my job. And since you are the closet to the scene of the relationship, you're my best choice." _

_ Tucker wasn't sure if he believed Carla, but she seemed sincere and, so far, she hadn't tried to kill him. _

_ "__And if you help me, I can certainly help you," Carla said, interrupting his thought process. "If you help me, I can help you find a girlfriend." _

_ Tucker's eyes widened, turning to Carla, who was smiling deviously._

"_I can help you find her," she repeated. "I can't help you get her though." _

_ Tucker pondered his options for a few moments: On one hand, he could be opening his friends up to a ghost attack, possibly by Penelope Spectra, on the other hand, he could actually fix something he was partially responsible for, on the other hand, he deserved a little happiness too, right? On the other hand, it could make the whole situation worse than before. _

_ Tucker shook his head, ethical dilemmas certainly sucked. He turned to Carla, who was watching him think, smiling a little as she looked into his eyes. _

_ "You've got a deal," he said, his hand extended._

_ Carla took it and they shook on it. "I promise you will not regret this." _

_ "Don't be so sure," Tucker countered._

_ "Trust me, I know you won't be sorry."_

**0000000**

Sebastian was sitting at his piano, playing a few random notes, humming a few bars to a song.

"Hey, Sebastian," he heard a feminine voice shouted.

He turned to see Ashley approaching him. Sebastian turned, spinning on the stool so he could face Nathan's girl…'really good friend'.

"What's up, Ash?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, first of all, I'm not Ash," the girl said, Sebastian's eyes widening in realization.

"How did you get in here?" Sebastian said, bringing his voice down a few decibels. "Do you know what Lester'll do if he catches you in here?"

"Like I'm afraid of that clown," Audrey said, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "On the subject of how I got in here, well, for a guy so worried about security, he certainly doesn't have very competent guards."

"How'd you get past them?" Sebastian inquired.

Audrey smirked devilishly. "All it took was a rubber woman and they went for it."

"Poor Paulina," Sebastian lamented, shaking his head in sadness.

"Not that rubber woman," Audrey said. "I stole from one of the trunks in my parents' room."

Sebastian's cheeks expanded before he swallowed, coughing for a moment. "I just threw up in my mouth a little."

"You weren't the only one," Audrey said. "But, I'm here on some unofficial business."

"And what business is that?" Sebastian asked.

"An old venture of mine, the Order of Do What I Can to Keep my Sister Looking Good," she said. "I've had to expand the department to include a Help Eric Keep His Scruples wing."

"And you need my help with that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was watching him from the golf course and I had to do something," informed Audrey.

"I've been watching him too," Sebastian said. "He's lost that…"

"Spunk?" Audrey added. "Theatricality? Love of entertaining? All of the above?"

"I'm gonna go with 'D', Regis," Sebastian said. "But, he's really adamant about singing this song."

"He won't when he hears this," she said, turning around and reaching up her blouse.

She withdrew a packet of papers in waterproof wrappings.

"Thought I would have to go under water to dodge the guards," she said, handing the papers to Sebastian.

He took them out of their wrappings, reading the music. Sebastian looked up at the girl.

"This is the song that Elle wanted to sing with him," he said. "And I could definitely tell he wanted to do it."

"But, my sister's little meltdown changed his mind," Audrey declared. "Once he hears the music, he won't be able to resist and he'll see that he doesn't have to make that little snot happy 24/7."

"Audrey," Sebastian said, smiling broadly. "Eric's my friend, but I think I'm beginning to love you."

**0000000**

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Tucker said, clinging to the flying chariot that Carla called her "ride", not wanting to look down.

"Yes, it's going to work," Carla insisted. "And even it doesn't lead to an automatic reconciliation, it'll definitely be on his mind."

Carla looked down to see that The Band had arrived, all of them dressed in their showy best for later that night.

"Which one of you is handling the song?" she shouted to the musicians down below.

"I've got this one," Drew Snyder, the group's most flamboyant member, clucked.

"Seems so appropriate that the guy singing this song would dress up like Elton," Carla whispered to Tucker before hopping back into the chariot. "Okay, Tuck, let's get this montage started."

The Band, now stationed on a roof, not too far off from the where the Christmas trees had been on display last Christmas. They began to play, their voices amplified by the simple fact that that's how it works in musicals. Drew stepped in front of the microphone.

_ "__What have I got to do to make you love me?" _Drew began to sang.

Danny passed the tree lot, shaking his head as he fly off again.

_ "__What have I got to do to make you care?"_

He ended up near the hills where he battled Desiree for the second time, the night Sam saved his life and repaired their friendship.

_ "__What do I do when lightning strikes me and I wake to find that you're not there?"_

He landed on the ground, wondering why Sam was still on his mind and who the hell was singing.

_ "__What do I do to make you want me?"_

Danny flew off again, heading, for no reason, to Casper High.

_ "__What have I got to do to be heard?" _Drew sang._ "What do I say when it's all over and sorry seems to be the hardest word?"_

He hovered around the spot where Sam had kissed him for the first time, their first ever 'fake-out make-out'.

_ "__It's sad, so sad, it's a sad, sad situation and it's getting more and more absurd."_

He smiled a little at that memory, Sam may not have known it but he definitely enjoyed that kiss more she did. He shook his nostalgia, floating into the air, hoping to find a place that didn't remind him of her.

_ "__It's sad, so sad, why can't we talk it over. Oh it seems to me that sorry seems to be the hardest word."_

Danny landed on what use was their favorite spot at Clear Waters, looking down at the club. He sat under the tree, surveying all the damage he had done trying to keep their relationship together.

_ "__It's sad, so sad, it's a sad, sad situation and it's getting more and more absurd."_

Danny's eyes opened, not the glowing green of Danny Phantom but the blue eyes of Danny Fenton. He knew what he had to do.

_ "__It's sad, so sad, why can't we talk it over. Oh it seems to me that sorry seems to be the hardest word."_

He stood up and slid down the hill, landing on his feet outside of Clear Waters.

_ "__What do I do to make you love me? What have I got to do to be heard? What do I do when lightning strikes me?"_

Danny vanished into the club as the music hit it's crescendo,

_ "__What have I got to do…What have I got to do…" _Drew paused, watching Danny walk into the club._ "When sorry seems to be the hardest word?"_

"All right, I think we've got it," Carla said, guiding her chariot to the ground.

Tucker stumbled off and tried to reclaim his bearings before throwing up in one of the potted plants.

"Don't like flying?" Carla asked.

"If I was meant to fly I'd have wings or ghost powers," the techo-savy teen quipped, wiping his mouth.

"Then maybe it's for the best you don't have either," Carla said, reaching into her robes and pulling out a packet of papers. "I need you to give these to the guy in charge of music. Just don't get vomit on them."

Tucker collected the papers, "Are you sure this plan will work?"

"Trust me, my employer is hardly ever wrong," Carla said reassuringly.

"I hope you're right," Tucker said, walking through the door.

**0000000**

Nathan ran through the halls that led to his office, a package under his arm. He wasn't sure how Ashley would react to his present but there was only one way to find out. Nathan opened the door of his office, pausing when he heard something crash onto the ground. He entered the office, looking around and found Ashley lying on the floor. Nathan put the package down and pulled Ashley to her feet.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, been hanging around Eric too long," she said, smiling.

"Well, it's all good then?" Nathan asked. "I've got something for you."

Nathan retrieved the package, placing it in front of Ashley.

"Open it," he encouraged.

Ashley stripped away the wrappings and opened the box. Her eyes widened in amazement.

"I can't believe it." she said. "You actually bought it."

"Well, I saw you checking it out when we spent the day together and I figured, hey, 'What the hell?' she'd love the surprise. And it would perfect for the show," Nathan explained, smiling with her.

Ashley examined the dress, giggling over it.

"Thank you!" she said, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much!"

"Hey, you're welcome," he said, returning the hug.

Ashley released her grasp on Nathan, jumping giddily. She took this opportunity to kiss him on the lips. Nathan returned the kiss, pulling her in closer to his body. When the kiss ended, Nathan and Ashley linked hands.

"I'll see you out there," he said, his hand sliding out of hers, shutting the door behind him.

**0000000**

Wesley crisscrossed toward the stage, a smile on his face. His smile grew even wider when he saw Sam sitting by the piano.

"Hey there, Goth lady," he said, trying to wrap his arms around her.

Sam pushed his hands away, focusing more on the music.

"Sam, what's wrong?" he asked, knowing deep down what the answer was.

"Wes," Sam finally said, "we need to talk."

"No, no, no, no talk," he whined, covering his ears.

Sam grabbed his arms, pulling his hands loose from his ears.

"Hey, you have been the best friend, outside of Tucker, any girl could ask for," Sam said, getting a hopeful look from the typically reserved and confident teen. "But, friendship is where my feelings for you end."

Wesley growled at those words. "It's because of him, isn't it? You're still hung up over a guy who doesn't trust you?" he asked, fury building in his voice.

"Danny and I have been through too many things to not be in each others' lives," Sam argued, "He's…he's…"

"You're twin flame?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah," Sam answered. "He kinda is."

"And no matter what you do, you can never just put it out," he added.

"Yeah," she said. "I hope you can understand."

Wesley paused for a moment, his mind scanning his brain for the right words.

"You love him?" he finally asked.

"I do," Sam responded, "and I wanted to thank you for helping me figure it out."

"You're wel…." he started, only to be cut off by Sam kissing him on the lips, this time for real.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

Wesley said nothing, watching her walk away.

"We'll always have Kurosawa, right?" he asked after her.

Sam turned and look back at him. "We'll always have that."

"Then here's looking at you, kid," Wesley said, winking at her.

Sam continued her walk and Wesley, much like what Erik did with Christine or Rick did with Ilsa, watched her walk away, back toward the man she loves. When she finally vanished from sight, Wesley reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He read the note and smiled bitter-sweetly.

"I guess I can always sing this," he said to himself, folding the letter and walking back into Clear Waters.

**0000000**

** "Wow, kinda depressing," Soulless Warlock said to Saul, who was covered in soot, mud, and what looked like dried blood. **

** Soulless Warlock turned and looked at his lackey, who was now glaring at him.**

** "What?" he asked, his voice going up a couple of octaves.**

** "Why did the Time Turner send me back to the middle of the Crusades?" he asked. **

** "I told you it was damaged," SW countered. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I warn you."**

** "And when will that be?" Saul asked. **

** "Right now," Soulless Warlock answered, handing him the Time Turner and diving behind his wall. **

** Saul looked at the device than at his boss, growling in frustration. "How far back do you wanna go?"**

** "Back to before Nathan got into the office, I wanna show the readers the reason why Ashley was on the ground," Soulless Warlock said, ducking back behind the wall. **

**Saul groaned, hoping he wouldn't come across Baldwin IV again. He turned the time dilator to the proper configurations, sending the readers back to nearly 20 minutes ago.**

**0000000**

_ Ashley sat in the office she shared with Nathan, listening to the song that they were planning on opening the show with. She hummed along when she saw the door creak open. Ashley then showed superhuman agility and speed when she saw her sister standing on the other side of the door. _

_ "What the hell are you doing here?" Ashley shouted, promptly shushing herself._

_ "I'm here to talk to you," Audrey said, shutting the door. "Are you still planning on letting Eric sing with Elle tonight?" _

_ "Yes!" Ashley declared. "No! I don't know!" _

_ "Ash, you're my older sister and I love you," Audrey said, getting a terrified look from her twin, those words never spelled out a good situation for the duo. "But, sometimes I have to protect you from yourself." _

_ "I don't need you to protect me," Ashley argued. "I'm just fine." _

_ "Physically, yes, but I can tell what you did to Eric is ripping your heart out as much as it is his." _

_ Ashley tried to wave Audrey off, who remained as dogged as ever._

_ "Which is way I'm here with an offer," Audrey stated, getting Ashley's attention. _

_ "And that offer is what?" Ashley asked._

_ "Well, we're twins. Identical at that," Audrey said._

_ "Thank you so much for that biology lesson," Ashley replied sarcastically. _

_ "Identical twins who can switch places on the stage," Audrey finished. _

_ "What're you saying?" Ashley asked. _

_ "I'm saying that I'll take your spot with Nathan at the beginning and you'll take Elle's spot in Eric's number." _

_ "And what makes you think she's gonna agree to this?" Ashley inquired. _

_ "She won't," Audrey said, "I knocked her out and locked her in a broom closet. If time and plot are on our side, which I know they are, we could pull this off." _

_ Ashley looked at her sister, hoping to find some semblance of a smile, too say this was all a huge joke she was playing on her. On the other hand, Ashley did, on occasion, enjoy being a part of her twin's insane plans. And they usually worked. And this would be a great way to apologize to Eric._

_ "So, do we have a deal?" Audrey asked, interrupting her sister's thoughts. _

_ "One problem, I'm not a soprano and I don't know the song he's singing," Ashley said. _

_ "Not a problem," Audrey said. "Sebastian and I have changed the tune, you should know when it comes up. God knows he sings it enough." _

_ "Oh God, Audrey, please tell me it isn't…" Ashley stopped, realizing that someone was outside of the door. _

_ Thinking quickly, she pushed Audrey into the open supply closet. Motioning for the doors to close, Audrey obeyed, shutting herself in and hearing her sister crash to the ground. And, while Ashley and Nathan shared their first kiss, Audrey was texting the information to both her sister's and Sebastian's cell phones._

**0000000**

Sebastian, meanwhile, had received the text message from minutes ago and was preparing for his and Audrey's plan to fall into place. He was midway through the preparations when he saw Tucker racing toward him.

"There a fire anywhere, Foley?" Sebastian asked.

Tucker stopped in front of Sebastian, the music Carla had given him still in his hand.

"What's this?" he asked, taking the music from Tucker.

"I heard it through the grapevine that you're tired of the drama that's been going on here," Tucker answered.

"That's not exactly news, but yes, yes I am," Sebastian said.

"Well, what if I told you that that music could help you settle one of the bigger causes?" Tucker asked, smiling confidently.

"I'd ask what pact you made with Satan to get this?" Sebastian responded, "and, where I could get more of it?"

"I didn't make a single pact with Satan," Tucker said, mumbling, "I think" under his breath.

"What makes you think that it's gonna help with the problem?" the older teenager inquired.

"Let's just say it's a feeling and a tip I picked up from watching an old matchmaker at work," Tucker said, smiling over Sebastian's shoulder at Carla, who flipped him off for the "old" comment.

Sebastian looked through the music, a smile curling on his lips and spreading to his tan face, "Foley," he said, "you picked a great song, but I don't know how this is gonna fix whatever it is you wanna fix."

"Okay, Danny and Sam are still retarded for each other," Tucker said.

"What a refreshingly un-PC way to describe two people," Sebastian interjected. "I like it, go on."

"Now, if they're still want to be together than, well, I can't think of a better way outside of handcuffing them together to get them to actually interact."

Sebastian looked at Tucker and thought about the chances of not only his plan succeeding but Audrey's as well. All though, hers' always has a better chance since Eric loves music and his friends that much. Danny and Sam could be a tougher nut to crack, but, if it worked, he would finally have some peace and quiet outside of Gail, of course, but we can't have everything we want, right?

Sebastian extended his hand. "Foley, you've got a deal."

"You won't regret this," Tucker said, shaking his hand before dashing off to complete his part of the plan, leaving the music and instructions with Sebastian.

"I have a feeling I won't," Sebastian said to himself, turning back to Audrey's plan and completing the finishing touches before moving on to Tucker's.

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**A/N: Another chapter into the shoot and into the realm of cyberspace. I hope you enjoyed this because I certainly did. I don't mind friendly constructive criticism or flat-out nice reviews, I just wanna know that people are reading my stuff. That would be an awesome gift.**

**Anyways, I'll probably have the next chapter up faster than usual but I'm not gonna make any promises, this chapter really blasted me to hell and it's hot as hell in my room. But, there is no art without discomfort.**

**Thank you for reading and, until next time, good night, good luck, good morning, and good afternoon wherever you are in the world today.**


	15. And Now It's On With the Show

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any songs featured in this story. I don't know how times I've said that about any fandom, but I know it's a lot. I own my own characters and that is it.**

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**Warning: This chapter is very OC exclusive. I'm sorry about that, but I do include multiple minor canon characters.**

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Around 7 in the evening, the main gates of Clear Waters opened to allow the charter members and the parents of the performers and backstage crew to enter the performance area in the back of the club. The venue was lit by an almost ethereal light. Actually, it was being lit by something a little closer to Earth in that it was actually several large dim lights, giving the show a little more atmosphere.

Jeremy Manson, his wife and mother crossed to their reserved table, hoping to see Sam and her, in their minds, new boyfriend before the show got started.

"At least we can have one outing without Jack Fenton and his family ruining it," Pamela said, in her infamous holier than thou tone.

Ida Manson quickly covered her mouth, hoping to save a rather large surprise reserved for her daughter-in-law's own ears and eyes.

"Hey, are those Sam's parents over there?" Jack exclaimed, his voice carrying over to Pamela, whose eyes nearly bugged out in terror.

She turned around slowly to see Jack, wearing his usual jumpsuit complete with black bowtie, Maddie, wearing a lovely blue dress saved for these special occasions, and Jazz, wearing a green cocktail dress.

"Oh God," Pamela cried, falling into her husband's arms.

Jeremy propped his wife up, reaching into his jacket's breast pocket, removing his extra strength smelling salts. He waved it in front of her nose, reviving her almost immediately.

"Well, at least he'll be the only person we have to worry about," Jeremy muttered to himself.

"Hey, Fenton family, what up!" the voice of Martin Saxon called out from across the venue.

Jeremy turned to see Martin, wearing a really gaudy orange suit, racing across the grounds, leaping through the air and into the waiting arms of Jack. Jack spun his friend around, letting Martin's long legs flail out of control, nailing Jeremy and Pamela in the head, flooring them both. Jack set Martin down, both men scratching their heads in confusion and guilt, while Ida simply picked up her son's smelling salts and waved them in the fallen duo's noses.

"Sorry, Mrs. Manson," Jack said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, my long dancer's legs can be a real pain sometimes," Martin said.

"Mr. Fenton, Mr. Saxon, unlike my son, I know when accidents happen," she said, shaking her head. "You didn't mean to hurt them and I don't blame you two for it."

Martin and Jack nodded wordlessly as they saw Pamela and Jeremy reviving. They raced to the safety of their wives.

"Well, you've nearly killed tonight," Elliot Ridley, looking very dapper in a black and white suit, said. "Do you mind staying vertical instead of flying?"

"No," Martin said, bowing his head in disgrace.

"Now, that that's taken care of," Elliot said, turning to Lizzie. "Do you mind if I escort the second most beautiful woman here to her table?"

Lizzie, wearing a lovely white dress, nodded to her husband and smiled as Elliot walked over to Ida's scooter. He took her hand and they led her over to the table, their families falling after them. All though, you have to admit that Jeremy and Pamela were a little more apprehensive about going anywhere near Martin and Jack.

Martin's wife, Scarlett, decked out in a beautiful black dress, moved behind her husband, hoping to protect his incredibly vulnerable head from any surprise attack by the Manson duo.

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Elsewhere, Wesley's parents had arrived. Mrs. Brooks was noticeable annoyed by her husband's attempts at looking nice. To be completely honest, he hadn't even bothered to put on a suit. He was wearing a nice shirt, yes, but it was half buttoned so his chest hair was exposed. He had this whole balding Bee Gee thing going on. It wasn't pretty, just leave it at that.

Mrs. Brooks, on the other hand, was wearing a sort of blend of dress with pantsuit jacket. It was nice but not exactly flattering. But the two are married; they don't give a crap what they look like.

Mr. Lester, as well as his wife, Melissa, had entered the venue, dressed very well, as only the owner of the club and his wife could. They knew how much this night meant to Nathan and they wanted to be there for what they knew was going to be a big success.

The families, however, did not see a man walking behind them. The man was wearing a traditional Shaolin garb and a grim smile on his face. He was soon joined by a familiar young woman, one who looked a lot like Thumbelina. All though now the wings were gone and she was wearing a rather lovely short black dress.

**0000000**

Nathan stood by the curtain, running in place, his feet matching the beats of his heart. He looked back toward the acts, who were getting ready for the big moment when the curtains went up and all their work would be on display for all their friends, family, and peers to see.

"Where the hell is she?" Nathan muttered to himself, checking his watch.

The show was about to begin in two minutes and Ashley was nowhere to be found. Nathan turned again, finding Sebastian standing in front of him.

"Ahh," Nathan shouted, jumping through the air. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," Sebastian said, "I've warned everyone I meet that I'm very sneaky."

Nathan groaned at the comment and gestured for Sebastian to get to the point.

"I was just about to tell you that Ashley was on her way," Sebastian said.

"Good," Nathan said, turning back to the stage. "Get to the piano."

Nathan turned around again and Sebastian was gone. The stressed teenager shook his head, wondering what the hell Sebastian had just done. Nathan shook his head, his hair starting to fall out of place before he turned around again, "Ashley", wearing the dress Nathan had given her only hours before, standing in front of him.

"Ready to roll?" she asked, smiling at him.

Nathan's long standing confidence returned as he smoothed his hair, reaching for the microphone in his cufflinks.

"Okay everyone, break a leg out there," he said. "Lights," he commanded. "On the count of three. One…two…

**0000000**

The curtain came up, Tucker activating the main spotlight, revealing Nathan and 'Ashley' on the stage. Sebastian and The Band began to play their instruments, giving Nathan and 'Ashley' their cue. The duo joined hands, walking out to center stage and Nathan began to sing.

_ "I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me cope with anything,"_ Nathan paused, giving 'Ashley' her cue, _"If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future even if you fail." _

He took her hand, pulling her closer, _"I believe in angels, something good in everything I see,"_ 'Ashley' added,_ "I believe in angels when I know the time is right for me."_

_ "I'll cross the stream,"_ the duo sang together, _"I have a dream." _

They began to waltz across the stage, before 'Ashley' began to sing again, _"I have a dream, a fantasy to help me through reality." _

Nathan twirled her, singing back, _"And my destination makes it worth the while." _

'Ashley' completed the turn. _"Pushing through the darkness still another mile,"_ she sang.

_ "I believe in angels,"_ Nathan affirmed, _"something good in everything I see." _

'Ashley' nodded in agreement. _"I believe in angels when I know the time is right for me." _

He pulled her back into his arms, their voices filling the venue.

_ "I'll cross the stream – I have a dream…I'll cross the stream –"_

'Ashley' finished the verse as they continued their waltz, _"I have a dream!"_

The Band and Sebastian played the musical interlude, allowing Nathan and 'Ashley' to dance through the best of the music. After getting a small applause from their parents and the more polite patrons that night.

Nathan let go off 'Ashley' and took center stage again, singing to the audience, _"I have a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything." _

_ "If you see the wonder of a fairy tale,"_ 'Ashley' re joined him, singing as well, resuming their waltz.

_ "You can take the future even if you fail,"_ Nathan concluded.

'Ashley' held the note before joining Nathan.

_ "I believe in angels, something good in everything I see. I believe in angels when I know the time is right for me…I'll cross the stream…"_

_ "I have a dream!"_ 'Ashley' sang.

_ "I'll cross the stream…"_

She stepped back, the stage going back wherever she walked, leaving Nathan alone on the stage.

He turned to the audience, holding his final note, _"I have a dream!"_

**0000000**

The audience applauded as Nathan sat down at the edge of the stage, looking out at the crowd. He smiled giddily, soaking it in for a moment.

"That was my co-director and…very good friend, Ashley Saxon, who, I hope will be joining me onstage later tonight," Nathan said, barely able to contain his joy. "Anyways, last year, this show was cancelled because, to be honest, while our employees had the talent, were clown shoes."

The crowd laughed, allowing Nathan a moment to breath.

"But, back to the point, tonight is about the restarting of an old tradition at Clear Waters and I am so proud to introduce our first number, Chris Cates and Melanie Grant singing, **You and Me** from _The Boy From Oz_!"

The stage went black for a moment, allowing the story to shift to another important plot point.

**0000000**

"They're pretty good," Carla said, listening to Chris and Melanie sing.

She turned to see her boss staring pensively at the stage.

"Are you sure that you completed the task as I asked you?" he asked, his voice carrying the weight of time, both infinite and simultaneous.

"Yes, Clockwork," she said, turning back to the stage. "Why're you even asking me? You know what I did."

"Indeed I do, but I want to make sure you were not lying to me," Clockwork said, stilling retaining the visage of Caine from _Kung Fu_.

"Why did you come like that?" Carla asked. "When you could've picked so many other disguises."

"It's a form that I've used for many years now and I like it," Clockwork responded, his eyes never leaving the stage.

Carla sighed, resting her head in her hand, watching Chris and Melanie conclude their number.

**0000000**

The next performer to hit the stage was Wesley, a frustrated look on his face. His mood softened when the lights came up and he saw his mother and stepfather sitting close to the stage.

He smiled at them, but was soon shot down when he heard Mr. Brooks shout, "I think the pansy was crying!"

Wesley's face tightened with rage, as he took his seat in front of the microphone. He wasn't going to let Joe ruin this for him, not tonight.

Wesley closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to talk, "Originally, I was going to sing a song with a friend," he informed the crowd. "Unfortunately, her heart lies elsewhere. So, I'm going to sing a song that kind of fits my mood right now."

Wesley singled Sebastian and The Band, who began to play a slow, downy tempo. He removed the mike from its stand, counting the beats and waiting for the moment he could begin,

_ "Turn down the lights, turn down the bed,"_ he sang, _"turn down these voices inside my head."_

He scanned the show area, looking for Sam. Wesley spotted her with the crew, wearing the dress she had planned to wear for their song. He focused his attention to her.

_ "Lay down with me,"_ he seemed to snarl, _"tell me no lies, just hold me close, don't patronize. Don't patronize me." _

Sam watched from the distance, not sure how to react as Wesley started to sing the

refrain, _"Cause I can't make you love me if you don't, you can't make your heart feel something it won't,"_ Wesley almost paused, overcome by the keyboard. _"Here in the dark in these final hours, I will lay down my heart, and I'll feel the power." _

He raised his head from the microphone.

_ "But, you won't,"_ he looked away from her, singing to the crowd, _"no, you won't. And I can't make you love me if you don't."_

He moved toward the edge of the stage.

_ "I'll close my eyes and then I won't see, the love you do not feel, when you're holding me." _

He looked to her again.

_ "Morning will come, and I'll do what's right just give me till then, to give up this fight. And I will give up this fight!"_ Wesley held the note on 'fight', getting the wildest ovation thus far in the show.

He took a breath before singing again, _"And I can't make you love me if you don't, you can't make your heart feel something it won't."_

Wesley took a deep breath.

_ "And here in the dark in these final hours,"_ he drawled, _"I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power. But you won't, no, you won't. And I can't make you love me if you don't."_

The music began to fade out; the crowd applauded for the young singer, even Joe seemed impressed. All though, he may have just been glassy eyed from all the booze he'd imbibed earlier that day. Wesley sang along with the fading music, slipping back behind the stage.

_ "Ain't no use in you trying…It's no good for me baby without love…All my tears, all these years, everything I believed in…Baby…Oh, yeah…Someone's gonna love me…"_

**0000000**

Toward the end of the show, Eric was watching the show from behind the curtains, waiting for his cue and looking around for Elle. He ran in place, almost imitating a child that had to pee really bad but couldn't move because the slightest action could in a very embarrassing situation. He wasn't even sure if he was even ready for his big moment that night.

Eric was knocked out of his daze when 'Ashley' approached him, tapping him on the shoulder. He reacted as only he could and ran into the wall, which he had been leaning against only moments earlier.

"Hey, you'd better get out there, I don't think Dean can distract them forever," 'Ashley', who had changed outfits in the hour that had passed, said, cringing as they heard Dean Rutherford, the second biggest flop of the show, next to Gail, who's mother had paid to get her in show, hit the ground, a pie covering his face.

"Yeah, but I can't find Elle," Eric said, restarting his in place dance. "And I don't know if the song is right and…"

'Ashley' cut him off, "Eric, chill," she said, grabbing his head and looking him dead in the eyes. "It will all be fine. Trust me."

Eric titled his head, his eyes widening in shock, "Audrey?" he asked.

"Be quiet," she said, stepping on his foot, getting a stunned reaction from her friend. "I am so sorry," she said, grabbing his arms to keep him from jumping again, "but, I need you to go out there and just go with it. Sebastian has got what you want."

"Huh?" Eric questioned as Audrey shoved him onto the stage, knocking Dean to the other side and out of the audience's line of fire.

They clapped for the young teen, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, as he had done one thing no one else could: get rid of that bozo Dean Rutherford. Eric began to hyperventilate, almost missing the microphone that was tossed out to him.

For the first time in his life, Eric Ridley was unaware of what to do or say. He couldn't believe that stage fright had finally decided to visit him.

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**A/N: Another one done, I can't believe I'm almost there. Since Chapter Thirteen, this has been as easy as it gets. **


	16. Dos Finals

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything outside of the OCs and the parts of the plot. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners and all that jazz (RIP Fred Ebb).**

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**A/N: Anyways, I wasn't able to figure out what Danny and Sam could sing. I wanted one big brassy number. Obviously, there're bigger, more eye-popping numbers than what I'm going to have Eric sing and I've looked. But, you know, if they are they're not songs about forgiveness, if they're songs about forgiveness, they're slow and more introspective so I thought, what the hell, this song is great give it to Danny and Sam.**

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Eric stepped out onstage, feeling stage fright for the first time ever. The song was still a mystery and he wasn't sure of what to do. Sebastian began to play a familiar melody that caught his attention. Against his better judgment, he began to sing.

_ "Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance, so I believe that you and me should grab it while we can." _

He was about to sing the second half when a familiar mezzo-soprano caused his ears to perk up.

_ "__Make it last forever," _it sang to him,_ "and never give it back…"_

Ashley stepped down from the crowd of workers, wearing the same dress that Audrey had been wearing.

Eric smiled and sang to his friend, _"__It's our turn and I'm loving where we're at." _

He watched her move toward the stage, the wind whipping across his face.

Eric raised the mike to his lips and joined her, _**"**__**Because this moment's really all we have." **_

Eric turned to the audience.

_ "__Every day," _he sang out,_ "of our lives…"_

Ashley moved closer to the stage and sang directly to Eric, _"__Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight…" _

_ "__Gonna run…" _Eric added.

_**"**__**While we're young,"**_they harmonized,_**"and keep the faith!"**_

Eric looked to his father, who was smiling at the duo.

_ "Every day –" _

_**"From right now," **_the friends sang, _**"gonna use our voices and scream out loud."**_

_ "__Take my hand –" _Ashley sang, offering her hand to Eric.

Eric took it gladly. _"__Together we will celebrate –" _

_ "__Celebrate –" _

_** "**__**Oh, everyday!"**_

Eric and Ashley hugged briefly after he pulled her onto the stage. The two tossed their mikes into the back and danced toward the piano.

Ashley began the second verse. _"__They say that you should follow…" _

_ "…__and chase down what you dream!" _Eric sang back.

_ "__But, if you get lost and lose yourself –__"_ as she sang this Ashley modeled her dress.

_ "What does it really mean?" _Eric concluded.

The two danced around the piano, linking hands.

Ashley spun Eric around Sebastian. _"__No matter where we're going," _she sang.

They let go of each other, Eric spinning toward the front of the piano. He jumped onto the top and sliding across it.

_ "Oh yeah…__It starts from where we are –__"_ he sang, landing safely on the other side, dancing closer to Ashley.

Ashley sang, _"__There's more to life –"_

Eric twirled around her, wrapping his hands around her waist, which allowed her to spin with him.

_**"**__**When we listen to our hearts –"**_

Ashley playfully tapped Eric on the nose, giving these next words some extra sincerity.

_**"**__**And because of you I've got the strength to start!"**_

Eric wrapped his arm around Ashley's neck; she took the lead and crooked her hand around his waist and the two circled the stage, akin to the Johnny-Baby twirl from _Dirty Dancing_.

_**"**__**Yeah, yeah, yeah. Every day of our lives!" **_they sang as they began to tango across the stage, getting whooping applause from their friends and family.

_ "__Wanna find you there," _Ashley affirmed,_ "wanna hold on tight." _

_ "__Gonna run –" _Eric added.

_**"**__**While we're young and keep the faith**__** –"**_

Eric spun Ashley away from him.

_**"Every day –"**_

_ "__From right now –"_ he said, sliding up behind her.

_**"**__**Gonna use our voices and scream out loud.**_ _**Take my hand, together we will celebrate – Celebrate."**_

_ "Oh, every day!" _Ashley exclaimed.

Backstage, someone tossed them their mikes, which Ashley caught and threw to Eric, who belted out the next verse, practically moon-walking as he did.

_ "__We're taking it back,"_ he proclaimed,_ "we're doing it here together,"_

_ "__It's better like that and stronger now than ever!"_Ashley sang.

The friends moved in closer to each other, Eric declaring, _"__We're not gonna loose –" _

_**"Cause we get to choose," **_Ashley jumped in with her friend,_**"that's how it's gonna be!"**_

Eric grinned like a fool, his arms wrapping around Ashley, who was grinning as goofily as Eric.

_ "__Every day of our lives –" _he sang.

_ "__Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight," _her voice followed his.

Eric shrugged. _"__Gonna run –"_

_**"**__**While we're young and keep the faith –" **_the duo belted out together. _"__Keep the faith!" _

Tucker spun the spotlight around The Band along with the members of Eric's family and friends, who were joined in with the song:

_**"**__**Every day of our lives!" **_

Eric couldn't believe his eyes; all of his friends had done this for him. He started to tear up before Ashley grabbed his hand and pulled him offstage, leading The Band from their spot. The group danced and sang to the audience members, moving in a semi-circle.

_**"**__**Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight."**_

_"__Gonna run –" _Eric added.

_**"**__**While we're young and keep the faith!"**_ the group sang together

_"__Every day –"_

_**"**__**From right now gonna use our voices and scream out loud!"**_

Eric spun through the musicians, grabbing Ashley and dipping her.

_"__Take my hand –"_ she sang.

Eric pulled her up and wailed, _"__Together we will celebrate!"_

_"__Celebrate!"_ Ashley added.

Jason Connors of The Band retrieved his guitar and began to play a solo as his cohorts sang with the duo.

_**"**__**Every day…Live every day…" **_

_"__Ooooh everyday…Love…"_ Ashley sang.

Eric did a moonwalk in place. _"__Every day!" _

_ "__Ooooooh every day!"_ Ashley cried.

_** "**__**Live every day,"**_ The Band encouraged. _**"Na, Na…"**_

_ "__Every day!"_ Eric exclaimed.

_** "**__**Love…"**_ The Band began before Ashley completed their sentence. _"__Every day!"_

_ "__Oh, yeah, yeah!" _

_ "__Every day!"_ Ashley declared.

Eric nodded when he saw her smile. _"__Every day!"_

_** "Every day…Every day…Every day…"**_ The Band concluded.

Eric and Ashley returned to the stage.

_ "Every day!" _they completed, their voices filling the pavilion.

Ashley punched Eric on the shoulder playfully before hugging him again.

_ "__Every day," _Ashley sang proudly, followed by Eric's,_ "Yeah!" _

The crowd broke out into a thunderous applause, especially from Elliot and, from the edge of the curtains, Nathan, who was smiling at Ashley, knowing something in her might have changed for the better. Eric took Ashley's hand and led her off the stage, his mouth moving at a million miles a minute.

Elliot couldn't help but smile at the two teens, his son was back to normal (or whatever passed for normal in their family) and Ashley was his best friend again. At least he hoped so. Because, hell, if shirking aside your shell for one song doesn't show someone you care, I don't know what does.

**0000000**

Clockwork watched as the duo exited the stage, turning his attention back to Carla, giving her a look that said, 'Finish the job'. Carla moved her bangs from her face and closed her eyes.

"Tucker?" she projected mentally.

At the sound and lighting booth, Tucker jumped, almost taking out the sound effects station.

"What the hell was that?" he screeched.

"It's Carla, clueless," Carla retorted. "Now, don't open your mouth. I know that and this next thing are really hard for you, but I need you to focus on my thoughts and we'll be able to communicate this way."

"Hey!" Tucker shouted, finally realizing she was making fun of him.

"I said shut up," Carla stated. "I need you to find Sam and make sure she gets on that stage."

Tucker was about to open his mouth again, but he stopped himself, focusing on the un-scary disembodied voice.

"I'd love to help, but I have no clue where she is," Tucker said.

"She's by the stage; get someone to cover for you," Carla said.

Tucker looked around, "Hey, Carter," he shouted to one of his crew members. "Can you cover for me? I've got something I need to take care of."

"Sure thing, Tuck," Carter Creed said, walking toward the effects board.

Tucker handed him a list of directions. "Follow these to the letter."

"I know," Carter said, annoyance seeping into his voice. "I can follow direction. I mean, I put all this stuff together."

"Yeah," Tucker conceded, "and then after you were done I put it together correctly."

Carter turned to continue his argument with Tucker, who was already racing toward the backstage area.

**0000000**

Sam stood near the curtains, in a few minutes Danny would take to the stage and the show would be over. She considered her options: Should she talk to him before he sang or after? 'After' sounded easier, he would be a little more approachable and calm after the show, but, maybe, he wouldn't want to talk after the show. So, getting it over with had to be the best option. Yeah, like a band-aid. But, ripping a band-aid off still hurt like hell. Only for a minute, though.

Sam groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she heard a voice ask.

Sam turned around to see Tucker standing in front of her.

"What's up, Tucker?" she asked. "Aren't you supposed to be handling the lighting?"

"I got someone to cover for me," he said. "Why haven't you gone out there?"

"I decided that this was bad idea," Sam answered.

"Then why are you still here?" Tucker asked.

"I, uh, I wanted to see how the show was…" she lied.

Tucker raised an eyebrow at that statement. "In a dress that nice?"

"Well, it is a country club and it is a special occasion," Sam stated. "And contrary to popular belief, I don't mind wearing dresses, I just hate pink ones."

"Right," Tucker nodded. "So, why are you backstage? Your parents can't be that bad."

"First of all, yes, they are," she retorted, "you know that first hand. And, not that it's any of your business, but I wanted to talk to Danny."

"Really?" Tucker asked, smiling devilishly.

"It's not what you think," Sam quickly added.

Tucker pursed his lips, trying not let on that Danny had just walked by both of them,

"Right, of course it isn't" Tucker said. "You just wanted to talk to him, tell him…"

"None of your business," Sam said as the music began to play.

She turned and saw Danny standing on the stage, giving his introduction. Tucker acted quickly, putting him hand on Sam's back and pushing her out on the stage. Sam stopped short of running into Danny, who whipped around defensively, hoping to avoid Dean's fate. He and Sam locked eyes before Tucker rolled another microphone out onto the stage.

**0000000**

** "Turn the Time Turner!" Soulless Warlock shouted dramatically, hopping onto his chair, striking a heroic pose.**

** "You're actually sticking around for this one?" Saul asked, kind of stunned at SW's actions. **

** "Yeah, I figured it wasn't fair for you to be the only one in danger," the author commented. **

** "And because you lost the protective wall," Saul added. **

** "That too," Soulless Warlock said. "You would think that the coven my mother gets her potions from would show me a little leeway." **

** Saul quickly fired back, "To show leeway, someone has to actually like you." **

** "Just flip us back through time, asshole," Soulless Warlock said, slumping back into his chair, pouting like a fifth grader. **

**0000000**

The story shifted to Danny only minutes before, just a second after passing Tucker and Sam, trying to ignore his ex. If Tucker wanted his ass chewed out by Sam, that was his business. All though, maybe now was the perfect time to talk to Sam, she seemed calm. On the other hand, that could switch on a dime. On that other hand that most humans didn't know that they had, she wasn't bipolar. On that hand that no human beings knew they had, she could get pissed off at the smallest thing.

No, he was better severed if he talked to Sam after the show. He moved passed the two friends, stepping out into the spotlight.

"Wooo," he heard Jack belt from the back of the venue, "that's my boy!"

Danny groaned at his father's enthusiasm. "Hey everyone," he said, waving to the crowd. "I was gonna sing a song that was supposed to be a…It was supposed to tell my ex that she could shove it."

Pamela covered her mouth. "Such language!" she declared.

"Well, what do you expect," Jeremy said, "with that for a role model?"

As if by magic, Jack dropped a chili fry onto his suit, "Son of a…"

"Jack!" Maddie shouted.

"Sorry," Jack said, blushing a bright shade of red. "Almost had to put a quarter in the jar."

"Anyways," Danny continued, "I decided that I didn't want to be that guy. So, I decided not to sing that song. Sebastian, could I get another song? Something with a little life."

Sebastian grinned at Danny's request. His grin turned into a full-blown smile when Sam appeared on stage and a mike rolled on by her feet. He knew just what to play. Giving The Band their cue, they switched their sheet music to the papers Tucker had given them earlier that day.

**0000000**

As the music began to play, Carla couldn't help but turn to Clockwork and give him a look that screamed, "How the hell did you know this was going to happen?"

Clockwork decided to answer her wordless question, "I've told you before, Carla, I know everything. All Daniel and Samantha needed a little push."

**0000000**

Sebastian played the piano while Danny counted the beats. The hero-halfa looked at Sam and smiled. He raised the mike to his lips and began to sing.

_ "I had a house while you were gone, the week after you left me I found a couple acres near Severna Park." _

Danny crossed the stage, moving closer to Sam.

_ "I had a house while you were gone, a house with silver shutters and a driveway laid in marble. And thousands of rooms to fill, and miles of space to fly,"_ he held that note. _"And I tried to believe it, it was better without you. I was safer alone." _

Danny reached out for Sam, who shrank away from him.

_ "No, I'd give it all for you,"_ Danny sang, _"I'd give it all for you by my side once more."_

Sam weakly smiled at Danny, who was singing solemnly. He stepped in closer to Sam.

_ "Oh, I'd give it all for you, I'd give it all to hold you again, to feel I'm completed, to know there and then that all that I needed was you to fight the fear,"_ Danny closed his eyes, _"and now you're here…" _

He took a deep breath, ready to sing the second half of the verse. Sam, however, beat him to it. He opened his eyes, stunned she was singing at all.

_ "I took a trip while I was gone,"_ Sam sang. _"I cashed in all my savings and bought an El Dorado, drove to Tennessee." _

She shook her head sadly, Danny moved closer to her. Sam backed away from him.

_ "I took a trip while I was gone, I drove across the country, and I stopped at lots of diners, and stared at a million stars," _she exposited, _"and thought I could touch the sky."_

Sam held that final note.

_ "And I tried to believe it,"_ she said, moving toward her ex-boyfriend. _"It was better without you, I was finally free." _

Sam stepped in closer to Danny, her hand extended. Danny took her hand, as she sang, _"No, I'd give it all for you, I'd give it all for you by my side once more."_

Danny pulled Sam closer to his chest.

_ "Oh, I'd give it all for you, I'd give it cause the mountains I climb get higher and higher,"_ she pushed back, still hanging onto his hand, _"I'm running from time, and walking through fire, and dreams just don't come true –"_ Sam held that for a few moments. _"But, now there's you!"_

Danny turned to the audience and sang to them, _"God knows it's easy to hide, easy to hide from the things that you feel and harder to blindly trust what you can't understand." _

Sam slipped under Danny, wrapping his arm around her. _"God knows it's easy to run, easy to run from the people you love and harder to stand and fight for the things you believe."_

Danny and Sam pulled back, their voices growing with the music.

_**"Nothing about us was perfect or clear, but when paradise calls me I'd rather be here. There's something between us that nobody else needs to see." **_

Danny spun Sam across the stage, following after her with unforeseen grace for the young halfa.

_ "There were oceans to cross!"_ she belted.

Danny countered. _"__There were mountains to conquer."_

Dropping her microphone, Sam offered her hand to Danny again, which he took gladly as they danced around the stage.

_ "And I stood on the shore,"_ she sang.

_ "And I stood on the cliff!" _

The music from Sebastian and The Band began to swell as the couple sang, _**"And the second before I jumped, I knew where I needed to be!" **_

The music grew louder and stronger, Sam seemed surprised as she looked over Danny's shoulders to see Tucker, motioning for her to go for it. Danny looked at Sam and the two started to sing.

_**"Oh, I gave it all for you, I gave it all for you by my side once more. Oh, I gave it all for you, I gave it cause it's harder to touch the things that are dearer," **_they paused for a nanosecond, finally admitting, _**"I love you too much to trust something clearer."**_

He spun Sam, pulling her body closer to his.

_**"I know I fell too far –"**_

Sam raised her hand, caressing Danny's face.

_**"But, here you are!" **_

The music faded out as Danny and Sam shared a kiss that gave the members of The Band a reason to use the fireworks they bought from a couple of trouble making redheads. Sam pulled Danny in closer as the kiss deepened, causing her parents to pass out again. The audience applauded wildly, giving the young couple a standing ovation. But, they were completely ignorant to it. Well, not completely ignorant, they were just a little preoccupied to acknowledge it.

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**A/N: Whew! The big chapter is done. I hope you enjoyed both numbers. I'm so happy I decided to redo the whole story, the songs are so much better now.**

**But, we are not done. We've still got one more chapter to go. So, read, review, tell me what you thought. I hope you enjoyed reading.**


	17. Music is the Cure

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything outside of the OCs and the parts of the plot. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners and all that jazz (RIP Fred Ebb).**

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**A/N: Well here we are again. I guess it must be fate (Sorry, acting like Eric again). This is the final chapter of the story. What a ride it's been, huh? I hope you guys enjoy this last chapter but I'm gonna guarantee that the story is far from over. I have five or six different alternate and deleted that I was gonna use but I never got the chance to put in the story. So, sit back and enjoy the final chapter of Summertime Songs.**

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**This Chapter is Dedicated to the Memory of David Carradine (AKA Clockwork). Unfortunately, he couldn't see this coming.**

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Danny and Sam ran off the stage, their hands still together. Danny spun Sam around and kissed her again. Sam's free hand reached around Danny's head and pulled him closer to her body.

"I am so sorry," he said when they stopped kissing.

"No," Sam argued, "the fight was completely my fault. I knew you'd get mad and I kept on needling you."

"Sam, the fight was my fault," Danny said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You have every right to be friends with whoever you want. I had no right to pry."

"Danny, I don't mind that you're concerned about me, but you have to learn to trust me completely," Sam said, a sense of calm in her voice that seeped into Danny's expression.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief at her statement, "Trust me, if not having you around is the end result of my paranoia, then I'm never gonna do it again."

He began to chuckle.

"What's with the chuckle?" Sam asked, smiling back at him.

"I thought you were gonna throw that whole possessive thing in my face," Danny said, the smile never leaving his face.

Sam pursed her lips. "Nah," she said, "I'm gonna save that for a really big fight."

Danny laughed her comment before it finally dawned on him what she'd said. He's a 'C' student, don't be harsh.

"Hey!" he shouted, his expression changing from pleasant to annoyed.

It was Sam's turn to laugh at her boyfriend. "I'm kidding," she said.

"You'd better be," Danny said, pouting.

"Aw, did I upset you?" Sam asked, a flirtatious look on her face.

"Yes," Danny answered, in a mock-depressed tone.

"Come here," she said, opening her arms.

Danny moved toward her arms, only to be hit in the face with a cork. Sam turned around to see Eric standing in front of her, a bottle of ginger ale in his hands.

Eric quickly hid the bottle behind his back and began to chuckle nervously. "Hey guys," he said. "Danny, what are you doing on the ground?" he asked, his voice betraying his attempt at a cover-up.

"Contemplating life," Danny replied sarcastically, pulling himself to his feet.

Eric stumbled back, ready to run from Danny. "You should chase me into the dining room of the club," suggested Eric. "There's an after-party and everything there."

"You just want witnesses," Danny said, his feet moving like he was ready to run.

"Damn skippy," Eric said, turning tail and racing toward the open doors of Clear Waters, Danny not too far behind him.

Sam chased after Danny and Eric, hoping to keep her boyfriend out of a juvy. Eric raced across the space between the door and the stage, tripping and sliding when he reached the doorway, vanishing under a wave of people. Danny entered a few seconds later, only to be accosted by the people, all of whom were patting him on the back, telling him great job, the usual shtick that goes with putting on a totally badass-iscal performance.

It didn't take long for Sam to get there as well, but she almost turned and ran when she saw Danny's current situation. Her efforts at escape, however, proved fruitless as her grandmother was able to hook her with her cane and pull her into the dining room. She hugged the older woman, who whispered in her ear,

"This boy's a real cutie, make sure he doesn't get away."

"I don't plan on that happening anytime soon," Sam whispered back.

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Wesley sat alone by the punch bowl, mindlessly filling his cup and drinking, hoping that imbibing all this fluid would allow to spend most of the night in the can. That way he wouldn't have to deal with…

"Boy!" Joe Brooks shouted, getting a groan from his stepson.

"Joe," Wesley said, swallowing another cup full.

"Your mother wanted me to talk to you," Joe said, taking a seat by Wesley.

Well, actually, he stumbled around, hoping his ass would land in a chair.

"Why would she ask you to talk to me?" Wesley asked, trying not to explode on Joe. Instigating his own mugging one time was enough for him, thank you very much.

"Because we were talking and I said that you did good up there," Joe stated, causing Wesley to choke on the latest cup of punch he was drinking.

Joe slapped him on the back, giving him enough air to shout, "You said what?"

"That you did good up there," repeated Joe. "It wasn't even gay like I thought it would be."

Wesley raised an eyebrow at his step-father, "What's your game, old man?"

"Nothing," Joe said. "So, who is she?"

"Who?" Wesley asked.

"The girl?" Joe said. "I know that look on your face. I use to wear it all the time when I was your age."

'You wear it every time you see cheap scotch,' Wesley thought, trying to drown out Joe's inquiry into his love life.

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While all this was going on, Eric had come to a stop. Actually, the wall stopped him, but let's not split hairs. He was spitting plaster out when he felt a hand on his back. Eric whipped around, ready to fight, only to realize that Ashley was the shoulder-tapper.

"Wow!" she shouted, raising her hands defensively. "Easy, Small Fry, it's just me."

"Sorry, I was just…" he stopped talking for a moment to take something in. "Did you just call me 'Small Fry'?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "Do you not me to call you that?"

"No," Eric said. "I mean, you can call me that, but you never use nicknames. Well, except 'Diva', but you only called me that once. What's with you?"

"Let's just say a very wise old man opened my eyes," she answered.

"Was the wise old man over 700 years old?" Eric asked.

"More in the 500 years old spot, but doesn't look a day over 45," Ashley replied, her eyes moving toward Elliot.

Eric turned and smiled when he put two and two together. "What'd he say to you?"

"Well, he reminded me that life isn't all about appearance," Ashley said. "Sometimes you've gotta cut loose."

_"Footloose?"_ Eric asked.

Ashley groaned at her friend's comment before laughing and kissing him on the forehead.

"Eric, I'm sorry for the way I acted," she finally said.

"Think nothing of it," Eric said, brushing off the apology.

"No, I mean it," Ashley continued. "I was completely selfish about my own feelings, I didn't think about how you felt."

"And I did the same to you, so we're even, okay?" he said, putting his hand out.

"Even," Ashley said, shaking his hand and pulling him in for a hug.

"By the way," he said, his face still buried in her shoulder, "how did you and Audrey manage to talk Elle out of singing with me? I mean, she was pretty stoked about it."

Ashley's facial expression went from happy to 'Oh shit, I forgot about that' in less than a minute.

"Um, Eric," she stammered, "about Elle."

No sooner had she said that, Elle appeared in the room. She was barefoot, her Jimmy Choo's in her hands, the pointed heels pointed in Ashley's direction. Ashley threw Eric down and darted around the room, trying to avoid the crazed teenage girl her sister had ambushed only hours before.

"Girls! Girls!" Eric shouted, chasing after the ladies, hoping to stop any unnecessary bloodshed or damage to private property.

**0000000**

Outside the club, Clockwork, now in his actual form, watched the scenes play out before him. Carla, on the other hand, had a couple of questions for her employer.

"You're going to ask me why?" Clockwork answered, his face assuming the guise of an elderly gentleman.

"Yes, I was," Carla said. "This is getting really…"

"Annoying? Yes, I know," Clockwork said. "Why did I ask you to help me with this? That was your question, correct?"

"You tell me, All Knowing One," Carla crowed.

Clockwork, now a baby, grinned. "I asked you to help me because I was concerned for young Daniel."

He changed form again, this time into his most imposing form.

"You see, there are things coming," he continued. "Things that even I won't be around to help him with. He's going to need every reason imaginable to want to live if he is to survive the trials to come."

Carla looked at her employer, his face never moving from the sight of Danny laughing at the sight of Eric trying to break a catfight between two girls that were taller than him.

"Sir, are you all right?" she asked.

Clockwork snapped out of his daze. "Yes, I'll be all right," he said. "Let's go, Carla, we've done what we came here for."

"Actually, sir, I haven't completed my task," Carla said, getting a strange look from Clockwork. "I still have to talk to Tucker. I kind of made a promise to him."

Clockwork nodded as Carla faded away.

**0000000**

Tucker was shutting off all of the machines for the lights and the effects that were used in the show. He was kind of glad he was out there and not in the dining room, it sounded like a warzone in there.

"Hey, Tuck!" a familiar voice shouted.

Tucker jumped into the air, thankful he was wearing brown pants. He turned to see Carla, in her original form, standing in front of him.

"Stop doing that!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking.

"Sorry," she said. "So, mission accomplished?"

"Yeah, it looks like," Tucker said, picking up his PDA.

"Tucker," Carla said, "I, um, couldn't leave until I kept my end of our deal. I was gonna tell you which girl was interested enough in you for you to date."

"Yeah?" Tucker inquired.

"Come here," she said, her finger motioning for him to move a little closer to her.

Tucker placed his head by her lips and she whispered a name in his ear.

"No way!" he said, tilting his head and reading her expression. "Really?"

"Hey, I said she was interested. I never promised you true love," Carla said.

Carla faded from sight when Tucker heard another voice calling after him.

"Hey, Tucker," he heard Audrey call. "C'mon. The party's just getting interesting. Ashley and Elle are having a catfight and they're beating Eric worse they are each other."

Tucker looked over to where Carla once stood, a quizzical look on his face. He was still trying to make sense of what she had told him. Tucker pushed the thought into the back of his mind and followed after Audrey.

"And keep your PDA on," ordered the techno-savvy girl, "I'm gonna want to hear what's going on in there and I need something to hack in to."

"You are not hacking into my PDA," Tucker shouted.

"All ready did," Audrey countered.

**0000000**

Back inside the dining room, Eric had finally separated the two girls and they had both calmed down sufficiently. They had calmed down, of course, after using Eric for their personal accidental punching bag. Mr. Lester clanged his bottle of cider onto the nearest table, getting everyone's attention.

"I would just like to say," he began, "That I am so proud of all of you. This show has got to be the best we've ever had."

This compliment drew applause from the core performers' families.

"And I'm especially proud of my son, Nathan, and his partner or should I say 'girlfriend', Ashley."

"His what?!" Martin Saxon shouted before his wife jabbed him in the neck with a syringe full of tranquilizers.

Martin struggled in his wife's grasp, slowly sinking to the floor.

"Gee, give Joe enough drinks and Mr. Saxon here'll have a bunkmate," Wesley quipped to himself.

Mr. Lester continued his speech, "The two of you put together an amazing show. And Ashley, to show you my gratitude, I'm going to allow your sister back on the grounds."

Audrey popped up from the wall she was hiding behind.

"I was waiting for that," she said, dashing into the room and joining her parents.

"How in the hell…" Mr. Lester said, trying to figure out how she…Oh, that little brat.

Eric surveyed the confusion and turned to Sebastian.

"Hey, Skipper," he said. "Got one more tune in you?"

"Is the ocean wet and salty, Little Buddy?" Sebastian quipped.

"Yeah?" Eric answered, his expression changing to a look of confusion.

"It means 'yes', Eric," Sebastian said. "What'd you have in mind?"

Eric hopped into Sebastian's arms and whispered in his ears. Sebastian grinned at Eric's suggestion and dropped him when he saw The Band pushing the piano back into the room. Sebastian took a seat by the piano and began to play the cue for The Band.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," confirmed Eric, springing to his feet.

Eric raced over to the piano. He jumped onto the instrument and shouted, "Well, come on everybody, yep…"

He began to sing, _"__Well, I'm gonna raise a fuss, I'm-a gonna raise a holler." _

Wesley joined in, _"__About-a workin' all summer just to try and earn a dollar." _

_ "__Well, every time I call my baby, try to get a date," _Danny sang.

_ "__My boss says, 'Uh duh, son, you gotta work late'," _Nathan added, nonchalantly directing the gazes toward his father.

The boys all laughed and sang, _**"**__**Sometimes I wonder, what I'm-a gonna do, but there ain't no cure for the summertime blues."**_

The girls danced over to the piano, Ashley and Sam joining their respective boyfriends.

_**"**__**Well, my mom and pop told me,"**_they sang._**"'Son, you gotta make some money'."**_

Audrey stepped over to the piano, singing with a little more "umph" than usual,

_ "__If you wanna use the car to go drivin' next Sunday," _Audrey declared, hopping onto the piano and dancing with Eric.

Sam grabbed Danny's hands and wrapped them around her waist, letting them both sway, _**"**__**Well, I didn't go to work, so my pa said I was sick."**_

_ "You can't use the car 'cause you didn't work a lick,__"_ Tucker sprang in and sang, rather flatly.

The girls took pity on Tucker and sang with him, _**"**__**Sometimes I wonder what I'm-a gonna do cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues."**_

The Band played a brief solo before Eric hopped off of the piano and sauntered over to Elle.

_ "__Gonna take two weeks, gonna have a fine vacation," _Eric sang.

Danny and Sam let the smaller teen pass, as Danny sang, _"__I'm gonna take my problem to the United Nation."_

_ "__Well, I called up my congressman and he said," _Sebastian's familiar baritone cried out.

Eric grabbed Elle and dipped, kissing her passionately on the lips. Sebastian high-fived Audrey while Nathan, who was dancing in place with Ashley.

_ "Boy, I'd like to help you son, but you're too young to vote," _Nathan sang with a sense of mock-disdain.

This time, the entire group joined in, _**"**__**Sometimes I wonder what I'm-a gonna do, but there ain't no cure for the summertime blues!"**_

Drew and Jason played the guitar solos, giving the couples and chance to dance to the music. Tucker and Wesley looked at each other and rolled their eyes just as Audrey grabbed Tucker and pulled him onto the dance floor. Wesley shrugged and began to dance by himself. Carmen Mendoza of The Band took pity on the poor fool and decided to dance with him.

Danny and Sam watched their friends, they were all so happy. Danny tapped Sam on the shoulder. She turned and he kissed her as the screen faded to black.

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**A/N: Wowzers! I can't believe it. I'm actually done with the whole damn story. I just wanted to say thank you to all the readers who were kind enough to review and to all the ones who didn't I love you anyways. The important thing is you read.**

**And so ends the summer adventures of Danny and the gang. I hope you enjoyed and I just wanted to remind that their story is far from over. I'll be back once I have a sufficient plot and inspiration to carry another story. Actually, I have the plot; I just have to flesh it out.**

**Anyways, I'll stop rambling and let you guys talk to the little green button at the bottom of your screen. Remember, the review button is all our friends.**

**Peace out,  
Soulless Warlock**


	18. From the Cutting Room Floor

The sound of footsteps filled a dark, empty movie theater. They were silenced when the walker crashed into something.

"Son-of-a-Bitch!" the walker shouted, the rest of their body crashing to the floor. "Saul, have you found the lights?"

"No!" Saul Milton Simms shouted back. "You know, if you hadn't scared the guy who runs this damn place to death the lights would've been on."

"Or I should've brought Chaos and Crisis," the fallen voice shouted. "They could find the lights and they would show me proper respect."

"Yeah," Saul shot back, "after they put laxatives in your drink."

There was silence for a moment, only to be broken when the power activated. Soulless Warlock, who had pulled himself to his feet, surveyed the theater.

"Perfect," he said to himself. "I knew New York had, at least, one good thing going for it."

Soulless Warlock to a seat in the center aisle of the movie theater, conjuring up a box of popcorn and a big-ass drink.

"Hey Saul," he called out, "got the projector running?"

"Just have to move the corpse," Saul shouted from inside the projection room, the sound of a body hitting the ground.

SW took a sip of his drink, stopping when he realized he was being watched by the unseen audience that every fourth wall breaker addresses.

"Hello, everyone," he said jovially, "and welcome to the special features of the story. You know, Richard Stilgoe once said "musical are not written, they're rewritten' and _Summertime Songs_ was no different."

Saul, meanwhile, had activated the projector and the screen began to come alive with scenes that had not appeared in the story.

"Which one do you want first?" Saul asked.

"I still need to finish the introductions, but I wanted the Eric and Sam scene," Soulless Warlock said, turning his attention back to the audience. "Anyways, _Summertime Songs_ had a couple of scenes that didn't make it into the story as is the case with most deleted scenes. But, I couldn't just leave them on the cutting room floor, so I put them together for your reading pleasure. This was a scene I wanted to put in the story to demonstrate the bond that was forming of the two trios, Team Phantom and The Ridley-Saxon group, but I decided to cut it because I didn't seem to have a real place in the story outside of watching Sam and Eric interact."

Soulless Warlock straightened his posture and continued.

"A little history. I got this idea from watching David Letterman where Kristen Chenoweth and Nathan Lane sang this song. And then I got the idea that I wanted Sam and Eric to sing together at least once. Thus, this scene was born. I did use some of the song used in this chapter for Danny and Sam in their final duet."

He looked up at the projection room, "Hey Saul, hit it!" he shouted, turning his attention to the screen as the audience was brought into the first deleted scene of the story.


	19. You're Just in Love

**Soulless Warlock: By the way, standard disclaimers of things I own and don't own still apply. This scene is set after the chapter ten fight between Sam and Danny.**

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Sam stamped down the streets of Amity Park, her face looking something akin to a red tomato. The kind of coloring she would have if she and Danny were not dating and someone would imply that they were.

But things were different this time, she and Danny were dating and this red face wasn't blush, it was fury.

"What the hell was he thinking?" she screamed, kicking a garbage can, only to hear a grunt of pain resonate from the can.

Sam jumped back when she heard the grunt. But, soon, her curiosity got the better of her and she looked into the garbage can.

"I am the Garbage Ghost!" Eric Ridley shouted, sending Sam back into the wall and onto her backside. "Beware!"

Sam looked up to see Eric standing upright in the garbage can, covered in the can's contents, his arms outstretched like the Box Ghost and a mad cackle emitting from his mouth.

"Eric, what are you doing in there?" she grumbled, standing up slowly.

"Trash can diving!" exclaimed the excitable youth.

Sam looked up to the heavens, a look of frustration and confusion forming her already-bereaved countenance. "Why do we keep asking?" questioned the Goth girl.

"Because, deep down, you're curious," Eric answered, hopping out of the trash can.

Unfortunately, he mistimed when his feet would leave the can and they hooked the edge, causing the small teen to crash face first into the ground. Sam cringed at the sight before helping Eric to his feet.

"So, what brings you out to my little corner of Amity?" Eric asked, seemingly unaffected by his crash landing.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You don't own this part of town."

"Not this part of town, but my dad and Steve own this piece of property," informed the normally befuddled teen.

Sam looked up to see the massive and formerly abandoned Prometheus Hotel.

"You live here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Eric said. "Home, and base of operations for the Ridley-Saxon Detective Agency, we hope you're helpless, because we help the hopeless."

"That doesn't sound like a good business slogan," Sam replied.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you allow Martin to go near paints and slogans. But, for some reason, it works," Eric said, shrugging his shoulders. "But, you still never answered my question."

Sam looked over at Eric. "What question?"

"The one I asked you," Eric reached into the trash can, pulling out what looked like a script, "ten paragraphs ago."

"The being in 'your corner of Amity'?" Sam asked.

"Yep!"

"I kinda wanted to avoid FentonWorks," she answered, her face betraying a secret she wanted to keep hidden from everyone save for her grandmother.

"Is this about the fight you had with Danny?" he asked, the bright eyes of Eric Ridley widening in curiosity.

"Yeah, that's part of it," she said, her facial expression and vocal tone assuring him that there was something wrong.

There was silence before Eric grinned, a cartoon light-bulb appearing over his head. "Wanna talk about it? I can be a pretty good listener."

"I don't know," Sam said.

"Seriously," he said. "I know I can be a little strange, but I'd like to help."

"You're serious?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, come on in."

Eric hopped over Sam and clutched the railing on the Prometheus' porch, flipping over it and landing safely on his feet.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he suggested darting over to the door.

Sam sluggishly dragged her feet over to the top of the porch steps. Eric opened the door, and began to walk in when he realized that Sam was moving with great apprehension.

"C'mon," he said, his arm waving invitingly, "we don't bite."

There was a brief beat.

"Well, my dad use too. But, we've weaned him off of humans," Eric said, waving off the statement he said moments before.

The duo entered the Prometheus lobby.

"Watch the step," Eric asked.

"Which step?" Sam said, walking down the steps effortlessly.

"That on..." Eric said, falling down the three steps that lead onto the main floor of the lobby, "I'm okay, I'm okay."

He stood up, his eyes filling with tears.

"I think I landed on my house keys," he moaned.

He hobbled over to a nearby couch and collapsed.

"Could you wait for, like, a minute?" Eric asked, catching his breath.

Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, yelping as he did.

"Okay, that's taken care of," he said, leaping off of the couch. "Sit down."

"Why do I get a feeling that I've just walked into a _Peanuts_ cartoon?" Sam said, under her breath, sitting down on the couch.

Eric dove to the ground, reaching into a small cubby hole and retrieved a sign that read: "The Doctor is In. Five Cents Please".

"Because I have," Sam concluded.

"So," Eric said, sitting down at the lobby's spiral couch, "tell me what the fight was about?"

"Danny's been acting really paranoid since we started working at Clear Waters. I think it's because he's afraid of Wesley."

"Afraid?" Eric questioned in his 'Dr. Phil' voice.

"Paranoid is a better word," Sam replied. "He thinks that Wesley wants me and I want him too."

"Do you?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "I'll admit that Wesley has his sweet side. And he's really matured this summer, but I like him as a friend and that is all."

"And Danny knows that?"

"Yes!" Sam replied. "And the worst part is, he…"

"He what?"

"Nothing, I just have a feeling he's been causing those so-called accidents to hurt Wes," Sam said.

"What makes you think that?"

"One he was never in the kitchen in the time that Wesley got hurt and he…"

"And does that change the way you feel about him?"

"That's the thing that really bothers me," Sam said, "I still care about him and I want to be with him."

"Feeling a little flush, nauseated?"

"Yeah, and I don't think it's the flu."

"And it's not jet lag. Any other sick feelings?"

"Yeah," she said, noticing that The Band had found their way inside the hotel and were playing a very familiar song.

"All right, I'm gonna tell you how I'm feeling, so you can tell me what's wrong with me?"

Sam stood up and began to sing, _"__I hear singing and there's no one there." _

Eric nodded understandingly. "Yeah!"

_ "__I smell blossoms and the trees are bare." _

Sam crossed past Eric's couch.

"There's medication for that."

_ "__All day long I seem to walk on air, I wonder why?" _

"Me too."

_ "__I wonder why?"_

She began to dance a bit around the lobby, Eric leaping to his feet, marking off her problems in his head. _"__I keep tossing in my sleep at night." _

"How does that make you feel?" Eric asked.

_ "__And what's more, I lost my appetite," _Sam revealed.

Eric looked at his stomach, a noticeable paunch revealed. "Not me."

_ "__Stars that used to twinkle in the skies are twinkling in my eyes, I wonder why," _Sam concluded, looking at an engrossed."Earn your five cents, help me out."

Eric took the lead, singing in a way that was akin to Ethel Merman, _"__You don't need analyzing; it is not so surprising, that you feel very strange, but nice."_

Sam followed after, wearing a look of confusion on it. "That doesn't help me out."

_ "__Your heart goes pitter-patter; I know just what's the matter, cause I've been there once or twice." _

"You have?"

_ "__Put your head on my shoulder,"_ Sam rested her head on his shoulder, as he instructed, somewhat hesitantly. _"__You need someone who's older, a red dove with a velvet glove."_

She quickly pulled back, a look of disgust on her face. "Eric?" she shouted, almost scarring him out of his shoes.

_ "__There is nothing you can take to relieve this pleasant ache you're not sick!" _he sang, smiling._ "You're just in love!"_

Sam groaned when she realized he was right. "Why didn't I think of that?"

The two began to dance together, singing as they bolted back and forth around the lobby. The Band blasting out music like a brass band.

**"****I hear singing and there's no one there, I smell blossoms and the trees are bare. All day long I seem to walk on air, I wonder why, I wonder why?" **Sam sang, Eric following behind her. **"****You don't need analyzing; it is not so surprising, that you feel very strange, but nice. Your heart goes pitter-patter; I know just what's the matter, 'cause I've been there once or twice." **

Sam turned around, pushing Eric back. _**"**__**I keep tossing in my sleep at night and what's more, I lost my appetite. Stars that used to twinkle in the skies are twinkling in my eyes, I wonder why?" **_

Eric sang back in counterpoint, _**"Put your head on my shoulder, you need someone who's older, a red dove with a velvet glove. There is nothing you can take to relieve that pleasant ache you're not sick! You're just in love!"**_

Eric pulled Sam closer, knowing she'd get the message, _"There is nothing you can take –"_

Sam dipped the upper half of her body and threw her face toward his as the duo sang, _"__To relieve that pleasant ache!" _

_**"You're not sick!"**_

_**"I'm not sick!" **_

_** "I'm just in love!"**_

_**"You're just in love!" **_

The Band began to play the final chords of the song as they let go of each other and dance around the lobby. Sam laughed as they joined up in the lobby and clumsily danced back to the couches. Eric let go of Sam and they landed safely onto their respective couches. Well, Eric whacked his head off of the pole, but that was bound to happen.

"So, what're you gonna do about this whole situation with Danny?" he asked.

"Well, I'm gonna talk to him," Sam answered with a sense of renewed vigor, "and I'm gonna tell him he has nothing to worry about. I'm not into Wesley, and I never will be."

"Damn right!" Eric shouted. "And I am going to ask Ashley if she wants to sing with me, no matter how embarrassing she thinks the song is."

"We have our objectives then," Sam said, turning to leave.

She stopped mid-step and turned back to Eric.

"Eric, thanks a lot," she said sincerely.

"It's like I always say, 'it's better to sing your problems than just talk about them,'" Eric said, smiling.

"I mean it, you're a good guy."

"Does this mean you've just had a breakthrough?" he asked.

"I think I have."

Eric extended his hand, "That'll be five cents, please."

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this little story, I know I had fun writing it.**


	20. I Never Knew That I Could Feel This Way

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nathan or this song, but I own Ashley, her family and friends.**

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**Soulless Warlock: Here is a scene that I wanted to write to show the growing feelings (as well as what they did after he invited her to the movies) between Ashley and Nathan, but I couldn't find the time to include it.**

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Ashley Saxon turned her head, looking at Nathan Lester, his face contorted in a look of concentration.

"Son of a…" he shouted, slamming his hand down on the console of the arcade game.

Nathan bit his fist to make sure he didn't curse.

"You can finish that sentence," Ashley said. "I'm use to that kind of language."

Nathan waved it off. "My parents always taught to go easy on profanities around women. It kinda stuck with me."

"Old fashioned, huh?" she asked.

"A little," he replied, smiling at her.

There was a silence between the two teenagers, neither one knowing what to say. Ashley, rather obviously, looked at her watch.

"Hey, the movie's gonna be starting in a few minutes," she finally said. "We better get in or we'll miss the previews."

Nathan's hand moved off of the joystick and rested on the console. Ashley grabbed his hand and pulled him into the movie theater.

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A few hours later, Nathan darted out of the theater, seemingly more energized.

"That movie was unbelievable!" he declared, grabbing Ashley by the arms and dancing around the theater.

"Chill out, spaz," Ashley said, trying to keep herself from laughing at Nathan's enthusiasm for the latest _Smash Adams_ movie.

"I can't help it," Nathan said, his feet planted safely on the ground. "Action flicks really get me jumpy and make me wanna do something exciting."

Ashley's pursed her lips suggestively. "Like what?"

Nathan looked at the young woman, smiling back at her. "Nothing like that, sweetheart," he said, "I mean, like a bike ride down a steep hill or a, a…I don't know, something silly and kinda stupid."

"Need a wing-girl for it?" she asked.

"You actually wanna be a part of something that could end up looking a little childish?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "I thought immaturity didn't become you."

"It does when it's with the right person," Ashley said, walking through the theater exit.

Nathan smiled at the girl, watching her walk into the now darkened parking lot before he followed after her.

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Nathan and Ashley walked away from the amusement park, that was a couple of miles away from the theater, he had taken her too, their hands linked together. They were dripping wet after sitting under the big water ride. The young possible couple was laughing over their mini-adventure on the Ferris Wheel and the two big rollercoasters, the latter of the two rollercoasters that they were barred from riding again following Nathan and Ashley's little confrontation with the operator over the length of the ride.

"I can't believe you actually said that to that guy," Nathan said.

"That guy was a jerk," Ashley said. "Besides, I get on a ride that's supposed to last 5 minutes and the ride ends at 3:30, I'm gonna complain."

Nathan laughed again, looking at Ashley under the lights.

"You know, you're gonna hate me for this, but you look great," he said.

"Yeah right," she said, covering her face. "I look horrible."

"I'm no liar, Ash," Nathan said. "Believe me, you could be covered in mud and horse pucky and you'd still look good to me."

"Pucky?" Ashley asked, trying not to laugh.

She playfully moved her hand into Nathan's now-flattened head of hair.

"Thanks, you're not too bad-looking yourself Nate," Ashley said.

Nathan finally took the initiative, kissing her on the lips quickly. Ashley, however, did not allow Nathan to pull away from the kiss, grabbing the back of his head, deepening their kiss. After the kiss ended, Nathan took Ashley's hand.

"C'mon, I'll take you home," he said, moving his hand from her hand and letting it settle around her waist.

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The young couple walked down the road, Ashley guiding them through the streets that led them to the Prometheus Hotel. Nathan drank in the sight of her in the streetlights, he pulled her closer to his chest. This made the walk they were taking a little too difficult.

"Hey, do you mind?" she asked.

Nathan let go of her, watching her walk off in front of him. He followed after her, trying to keep up. He stopped for a minute when he spotted Drew Snyder of The Band walking down the opposite side of the street, a concertina in his hands. The remaining members of The Band reappeared on the street, playing their instruments.

Nathan turned back to Ashley, thinking of back to one of his favorite movies, _Lady and the Tramp II_. (Don't judge him, he was a kid when it came out)

_ "__I never had this feeling before," _he sang inwardly,_ "she gives me shakes and shivers I can't ignore, and I see that there's more now than just running free." _

Ashley turned around to see that her new boyfriend had not moved from where she had left him only a minute earlier.

_"__I never felt my heart beat so fast,"_ she added. _"I'm thinking of him first and of myself last, and how happy I want him to be.'_

Nathan darted to Ashley's side, his in-voice picking up in terms of power.

_ "__It's amazing," _Nathan mused,_ "someone in my life just might be loving me. I didn't know that I could feel this way." _

Ashley's in-voice followed suit. _"__It's so crazy something in my life is better than a dream. I didn't know that I could feel this way."_

The couple continued their walk, only a block away from the Prometheus.

_ "__She makes me warm and happy inside," _Nathan observed, smiling at that thought.

Ashley giggled lightly when she saw him smile. _"__He smiles and I get dizzy and starry-eyed."_

_**"**__**All these feelings I have, have me asking –" **_the teens sang together.

They rounded the corner, now they were only a stone's throw away from the former hotel. Nathan chased after Ashley, the young couple laughing as their in-voices poised the biggest question of the night.

_"Can this be love?" _Ashley sang.

Nathan followed behind her vocally. _"__Can this be love?"_

_ "__It's crazy!" _Ashley observed.

The in-voices sang in unison, _**"**__**I can hardly speak…"**_

**"Whenever he –"**

**"Whenever she –"**

_**"**__**Says 'hi'!"**_

Ashley made it to the steps, Nathan two steps behind.

_ "__I didn't know that I could feel…_" Ashley went for the door only to have Nathan grab her hand, _"__I never dreamed that I could feel…"_

He pinned her against the door with another passionate kiss.

_**"**__**I,"**_ their lips parted again, allowing Ashley to stumble through the front door, leaving Nathan alone on the porch, _**"**__**didn't know that I could feel this way."**_

As the music faded out, Nathan stepped off of the porch, a smile forming on his face. He turned and raced across the sidewalk, hopping into the air. He landed onto a pile of trash cans, accidentally tipping them, which sent him crashing to the ground below.

"I love Amity Park!" he shouted into the night.

"Nobody cares!" an equally loud voice in the dark shouted back.


	21. There's A Fine, Fine Line

**Soulless Warlock: I do not own the characters or this song. They belong to Butch Hartman and Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez respectively.**

**Anyways, this is technically an extended look into Sam's thoughts on her breakup, but it kind of counts as a deleted scene since it ended up on the cutting room floor. Eventually, I decided that, despite her anger at him, she wouldn't call their relationship a "waste of time", so I cut the song out.**

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Sam stormed off, not paying attention to where she was going. She was finally stopped when she tripped over the remains of what was once Undergrowth. The fallen plant ghost had been just another waste of time, all the good she ever tried to do always came back to bite her. Saving Lake Eire, fighting ghosts, trying to help Danny become the hero she knew he could be. That last one was something that really stuck in her craw, if he trusted her with his secret why couldn't he trust her to handle herself where other people, especially boys, were concerned.

Sam took a seat by the lake, resting up against a tree. She sighed, she hadn't put much thought into how she was going to be able to tear Tucker away from Danny and give him her side of the story. And, of course, her parents were gonna be tickled pink (*shudder*) about this colossal failure that was hers and Danny's relationship.

Why does she always do this? She gives her heart to a guy she thinks is great, but then he turns around, devours her hearts, and then hands it back to her. Was it the guy? Or was it her?

"Maybe I am destined to be the crazy cat-lady," she said to herself.

She stood up, her eyes passing over the lake, catching a glimpse of Danny flying overhead. Sam turned to walk away from the lake when she saw Drew Snyder of The Band with his twin sister, Maggie. Both of them were brandishing musical instruments, motioning for Sam to give their music a voice.

"Great," Sam muttered to herself. "I have a feeling that you two are gonna keep this up even if I say 'no', right?"

"It's a good bet," Drew replied.

Sam groaned at that response, a groan that grew louder when she heard someone playing the piano. She ran in the direction of the piano, stopping on one of the park's walkways, where she found Harris Travers playing the piano.

"Guys," she said, "I appreciate it, but I really just wanna be alone."

"Sure you do," Harris said. "It always helps to get out instead of letting it fester."

Maggie tapped Sam on the shoulder. "And we went to the trouble of giving you visual aids."

Sam arched an eyebrow at the blond girl's statement, before Drew and Harris nodded their heads to opposite direction. Sam turned to see Carmen Mendoza and Jason Connors, dressed as her and Danny respectively. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh at the sight.

'They had to pick her,' she thought. 'The blonde is paler than me, yet they went with the Latina girl to play me. This is why Hollywood is never getting a hold of my script.'

Jason and Carmen stepped closer together as Harris began to play again. Sam sighed again, knowing they wouldn't go away until she acquiesced to their request.

'Where is that wizard that's supposed to be watching them?' she thought.

Harris snapped his fingers, cuing Sam, who began to sing, _"__There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend," _she looked back at the group,_ "there's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend," _Sam mused on,_ "and you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb."_

Sam paused, looking back at Jason and Carmen, who were circling each other. The couple embraced, kissing in a similar manner she and Danny had kissed when they began their relationship.

_ "__There's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of time."_

The dancing changed to mirror a couple in love.

_ "__There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie; and there's a fine, fine line between 'You're wonderful' and 'Goodbye'."_

It soon morphed into a couple arguing, Carmen storming away, taking Sam's side.

Sam shrugged. _"__I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime, but there's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of your time."_

Jason darted over, but Sam took the initiative and moved in front of Carmen. Jason moved forward, causing Sam and Carmen to step back, but only because it kept them from falling over.

_ "__And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore," _Sam insisted._ "I don't think that you even know what you're looking for." _

Sam turned, dodging Jason, and allowing Carmen and her boyfriend to run into each other. The young couple looked at one of the many people they had been following that summer, wishing they could do more.

_ "__For my own sanity, I've got to close the door and walk away..." _she stopped, unable to say the words._ "Oh…"_

The music became more pensive. Sam turned her attention to Harris, who seemed ready to run for his life if the situation warranted it.

_ "__There's a fine, fine line between together and not and there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got."_

She looked up to the sky, Danny had been gone for a while now, but she couldn't help the symbolism of the whole situation.

_ "__You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime!" _she sang out.

She held the final note of that line, making the birds jealous of her control. Sam stopped for a moment and took a breath, Harris reaching the end of the music.

She slowly sang, _"__There's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of time."_

Sam turned back to The Band, nodding to them, wordlessly thanking them for what they had done. She started to walk away, realizing one thing: she loved the bonehead even more now.


	22. Alternate Takes Intro

"And that was the deleted scenes, everyone." Soulless Warlock said, the scene alternating back to the theater. "Coming up next, we're gonna show you some of the scenes that made it into the story."

SW craned his head around, looking for Saul to give him the signal.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait a little bit for those scenes," he said. "Now, you're all probably wondering, 'we've already seen these things once before, why the hell would we want to see them again'?"

"I asked myself the same question every time they rewound the movie in _Vantage Point_," Saul quipped, removing the deleted scene reels from the projector.

Soulless Warlock shook his head in obvious rancor toward his lackey. He turned his attention back to the audience.

"Anyways, I wrote these scenes initially with the intent that they would replace a couple of scenes in the story," informed the writer. "But, then I was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration to go another route in terms of music, in terms of story, and characterization. However, the spirit of the scenes you read remains the same even though some of it was changed."

"Let me, introduce this scene," he continued. "It's the original song that Wesley was going to sing after Sam rejected him. I wanted to give him a song about losing your chance with love, but I realized that this song was still a little hopeful. I mean, it's Rodgers and Hammerstein so there's always hope. I went with _I Can't Make You Love Me_ because it was more bittersweet. But, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of this scene. So, without any further ado, here's Wesley Wells singing _This Nearly Was Mine_ from _South Pacific_."

The projector kicked back on and the big screen lit up again as the audience and the writer was pulled back into his creation.


	23. This Nearly Was Mine

**Soulless Warlock: As with the deleted scenes, standard disclaimers and claimers still apply.**

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The next performer to hit the stage was Wesley, a frustrated look on his face. His mood softened when the lights came up and he saw his mother and stepfather sitting close to the stage.

He smiled at them, but was soon shot down when he heard Mr. Brooks shout, "I think the pansy was crying!"

Wesley's face tightened with rage, as he took his seat in front of the microphone. He wasn't going to let Joe ruin this for him, not tonight.

Wesley closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to talk, "Originally, I was going to sing a song with a friend," he informed the crowd. "Unfortunately, her heart lies elsewhere. So, I'm going to sing a song that kind of fits my mood right now."

Wesley signaled Sebastian and The Band, who began to play a slow, downy yet, somehow, cheerful tempo. He removed the mike from its stand, counting the beats and waiting for the moment he could begin.

_ "__One dream in my heart, one love to be living for, one love to be living for, this nearly was mine." _

He scanned the show area, looking for Sam. Wesley spotted her with the crew, wearing the dress she had planned to wear for their song. He focused his attention to her,

_ "__One girl for my dream," _he sang to Sam,_ "one partner in paradise, this promise of paradise, this nearly was mine." _

Sam watched from the distance, not sure how to react as Wesley started to sing the refrain.

_ "__Close to my heart she came only to fly away, only to fly as day flies from moonlight," _he looked away from her, singing to the crowd. _"__Now, now I'm alone, still dreaming of paradise; still saying that paradise once nearly was mine." _

He moved toward the edge of the stage.

_ "__So clear and deep are my fancies," _he crooned on,_ "of things I wish were true. I'll keep remembering evenings I wish I'd spent with you."_

He looked to her again.

_ "__I'll keep remembering kisses from lips I'll never own," _Wesley closed his eyes, not wanting to beak,_ "and all the lovely adventures that we have never known."_

Wesley held the note on "known", getting the wildest ovation thus far in the show. He took a breath before singing again.

_ "One dream in my heart, one love to be living for," _he cried,_ "one love to be living for, this nearly was mine. One girl for my dream, one partner in paradise, this promise of paradise, this nearly was mine."_

The music changed to the lowest tempo of the night; the crowd applauded for the young singer, even Joe seemed impressed. All though, he may have just been glassy eyed from all the booze he'd imbibed earlier that day. Wesley sang along with the fading music, slipping back behind the stage.

_ "Close to my heart she came only to fly away, only to fly as day flies from moonlight. Now, now I'm alone, still dreaming of paradise," _he took a breath, savoring this moment,_ "still saying that paradise once nearly was mine!"_


	24. Broken

**Soulless Warlock: The standard disclaimers still apply here as they did in the other chapters. I wrote this scene for one Gothic Rose12, who was one of the few to suggest songs for Danny and Sam. I was originally going to use it but then I realized that I didn't want the reconciliation to be depressing so I went with the medley of songs featured in that chapter. So, sit back and enjoy Danny and Sam singing "Broken" by Seether featuring Amy Lee.**

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Jason removed his electric guitar from its case, tossing the plug to Drew. Drew plugged the instrument in just as Jason brought the pick down on the strings. Harris joined in with Jason, their guitars giving the audience a taste of what the song was going to be like. The beat was moody, pensive, and introspective.

Danny looked at Sam, who had a mike in her hand but seemed ready to race off the stage, and began to sing, _"__I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh, I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away." _

Sam stopped walking, turning to face her ex, completely stunned at his choice of song, _"__I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well; I wanna hold you high and steal your pain." _

Danny took a breath, ready to tackle the chorus, only for Sam to join him, _**"**__**'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome and I don't feel right when you're gone away." **_

He turned to the audience and sang to the crowd,

_ "You've gone away," _Danny sang,_ "you don't feel me here anymore." _

Sam joined him, taking his hand, singing to both him and the audience, _"__The worst is over now and we can breathe again, I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away." _

She released his hand, moving across the stage, Danny not too far behind her. _"__There's so much left to learn," _she insisted,_ "and no one left to fight, I wanna hold you high and steal your pain."_

Dropping her microphone, Sam offered her hand to Danny, which he took gladly and they slowed danced around the stage, barely moving from one spot.

_**"**__**'Cause I'm broken when I'm open and I don't feel like I am strong enough," **_they sang together_. __**"'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome and I don't feel right when you're gone away."**_

The Band began to play their solo. After Jason and Harris tore up their solo, getting a small applause themselves, The Band paused for just a second, the music starting with Danny and Sam as they sang:

_**"'Cause I'm broken when I'm open and I don't feel like I am strong enough. 'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome and I don't feel right when you're gone away."**_

Danny released his grip on Sam, letting her slip across the stage, creating an invisible ocean between the two. They sang solemnly to each other,

_**"**__**'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome and I don't feel right when you're gone away…You've gone away…"**_

Sam raced over to Danny, as he sang softly, _"__You don't feel me here anymore!"_

Danny and Sam stood on the stage, the music fading away, unsure of what to do. He nervously went 90% of the way, allowing her to decide what she wanted. Sam responded by closing the 10% gap between them, kissing Danny. The crowd, sans her parents, began to clap, knowing something much deeper had happened between the young couple than they could possibly understand. Or maybe they didn't understand and just thought it was cute. You never know with some people.


	25. We Go Together

**Soulless Warlock: As stated in every chapter past, I own nothing. I just own my OCs and that is all. Thank you and enjoy.**

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Back inside the dining room, Eric had finally separated the two girls and they had both calmed down sufficiently. They had calmed down, of course, after using Eric for their personal accidental punching bag. Mr. Lester clanged his bottle of cider onto the nearest table, getting everyone's attention.

"I would just like to say," he began, "that I am so proud of all of you. This show has got to be the best we've ever had."

This compliment drew applause from the core performers' families.

"And I'm especially proud of my son, Nathan, and his partner or should I say 'girlfriend', Ashley."

"His what?!" Martin Saxon shouted before his wife jabbed him in the neck with a syringe full of tranquilizers.

Martin stumbled around before passing out, Scarlett gently lowering him to the floor. Soon, the sounds of snoring filled the room.

"Gee, give Joe enough drinks and Mr. Saxon here'll have a bunkmate," Wesley quipped to himself.

Mr. Lester continued his speech. "The two of you put together an amazing show. And Ashley, to show you my gratitude, I'm going to allow your sister back on the grounds."

Audrey popped up from the wall she was hiding behind.

"I was waiting for that," she cheered, dashing into the room and joining her parents.

"How in the hell…" Mr. Lester said, trying to figure out how she…Oh, that little brat.

Eric surveyed the confusion and turned to Sebastian.

"Hey, Skipper," he said, "got one more tune in you?"

"Is the ocean wet and salty, Little Buddy?" Sebastian quipped.

"Yeah," Eric answered, his expression changing to a look of confusion.

"It was a rhetorical question, Eric," Sebastian said. "What'd you have in mind?"

Eric hopped into Sebastian's arms and whispered in his ears. Sebastian grinned at Eric's suggestion and dropped him when he saw The Band pushing the piano back into the room. Sebastian took a seat by the piano and began to play the cue for The Band.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Eric said, springing to his feet.

Eric raced over to the piano. He jumped onto the instrument and shouted, _"__A wop ba-ba lu-mop!" _

Danny and the others joined him around the piano and joined with a resounding, _**"**__**A wop bam boom!**__**"**_

The Band joined in with Sebastian. Danny and Sam joined Eric on the piano, singing, _**"**__**We go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong! Remembered forever like shoo bop shoo wadda, wadda yipitty boom de boom!"**_

The remaining members of both trios sang back, _**"**__**Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop! That's the way it should be wha oooh yeah!"**_

Not to be out done by their children, Jack spun Maddie out toward the piano, followed by the other parents, singing,_**"**__**We're one of a kind like dip di-dip di-dip doo-bop a doo-bee doo!"**_

The parents and the kids clapped their hands before slapping their knees, dancing to the melody of the music.

_**"**__**Our names are signed boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy Shoo-by doo-wop she-bop Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop! We'll always be like one wa-wa-wa-waaa!"**_

Nathan entered the song, singing with his father, _**"**__**When we go out at night and stars are shinin' bright up in the skies above!"**_

Ashley sauntered over to Nathan and they sang with Danny and Sam, who had jumped off the piano to join in with the dancing.

_**"**__**Or at the high school dance where you can find romance,"**_the young couples sang.

Eric offered his hand to Elle, who gladly accepted, helping him off of the piano. They joined up with their friends, _**"**__**Maybe it might be lo-oh oh oh-oh oh-ove!"**_

The Band picked up the pace, allowing the celebrating groups to sing in an almost round like setting.

_**"**__**Ra-ma la-ma la-ma ka ding a da ding de dong!" **_the adults merrily began.

_**"**__**Shoo-bop sha wad-da wad-da yipp-it-y boom de boom!"**_ the kids added.

The groups switched off as The Band joined in with the group.

_**"**__**Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop!"**_

_**"**__**Dip da-dip da-dip doo-wop da doo-bee doo!"**_

Adults created a tunnel and let the teenagers tango through, each one taking the hand of their significant other and/or friend: Danny with Sam, Ashley with Nathan, Eric with Elle, and Tucker with Audrey.

The adults moved with a slower speed, their voices never letting up. _**"**__**Boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-ed-y!"**_

The teens, however, were faster and their voices were just as strong. _**"**__**Shoo-by doo-wop she-bop!"**_

_**"**__**Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na yip-pit-y boom de boom!"**_

The only person missing from this equation was Wesley, who was dancing in place by the wall, attempting to ignore the fun being had. Even his stepfather was showing uncharacteristic grace on the dance floor.

This time, the kids took the lead once again. _**"Ra-ma la-ma la-ma ka ding-a de ding de dong!"**_

_**"Shoo-bop sha wad-da wad-da yipp-it-y boom de boom!" **_the adults sang out.

_**"**__**Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop!"**_

_**"**__**Dip da-dip da-dip doo-wop da doo-bee doo!"**_

Maggie of The Band took pity on Wesley and dragged him into the dance floor.

_**"**__**Boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy boog-e-dy!"**_

_**"**__**Shoo-by doo-wop she-bop!" **_the adults crowed after the teens.

_**"**__**Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na yip-pit-ty boom de boom!"**_

The guys and the girls split off while Danny and Sam took to the front of their respective groups before Danny lead the boys in another chorus of, _**"**__**A wop ba-ba lu-mop!"**_

Sam led the girls in their response, _**"**__**A wop bam boom!"**_

The groups linked up again, _**"**__**We're for each other like a wop ba-ba lu-mop and wop bam boom! Just like my brother is sha na na na na na yip-pit-y dip de boom! Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop, we'll always be together! Wha oooh yeah!"**_

The projector began to fade out on the story as they continued to sing, _**"**__**We'll always, be together…We'll always be together…We'll always be together…"**_

As everything faded to black and a spot light shined, Danny and Sam watched their friends, they were all so happy. Danny tapped Sam on the shoulder. She turned and he kissed her as the screen faded to a complete blackout.

**0000000**

Back in the theatre, Soulless Warlock applauded the scene he had written, the screen had gone dark, the lights in the theater had returned and Saul had rejoined him in the seating area.

"Wow," SW said. "I am so glad I went with the other ending."

Saul snorted at his comment. "Yeah, but what about the people who read that ending? Maybe you should apologize to them."

"See, this why I don't take you places," Soulless Warlock shot back.

"True, but you need me around because I'm the only one in your little firm that can make a suffocation look like a heart attack," Saul argued.

"Valid point," Soulless Warlock conceded. "Anyways, readers, I hope you enjoyed not only this chapter but the story as a whole."

"And go gentle on him in your reviews," Saul continued. "Just because he doesn't have a soul doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings."

"Until next time, since I don't believe in goodbyes," Soulless Warlock said. "This is Soulless Warlock, saying good-bye, good morning, good afternoon, good night and good luck for all the people of the world."

The lights of the theater went out as a vortex opened.

"Okay, now let's get the hell out of here before Tanner and Slater show up," SW shouted as he and his lackey vanished from the theater and into another adventure.


End file.
